Everyone knows the importance of proper nutrition and a good diet when it comes to maintaining physical health. However, the same level of thinking can also help with our dental health, and having good nutritional and eating habits will contribute to healthy teeth and gums.

A good, balanced diet can help to boost and maintain our body's natural immune system; this can help to reduce the likelihood of developing oral complaints, while also helping to maintain healthy gums and strong teeth.

What we eat and drink can have an effect our oral health. Sweets, for instance, can stick to our teeth and leave behind sticky deposits which if not removed can lead to tooth decay. As such, it is important to maintain a good dental health regime to remove sticky residues that may be left behind. Fizzy drinks, such as Pepsi cola, can erode tooth enamel, due to the acidic nature of the beverage.

It's also important to eat regularly, as research has shown that dental health can be affected by how often a person eats. Regular snacking on sweet or starchy foods can increase the activity of bacteria in a person's mouth; this leads to heightened levels of acid in the mouth, which can erode tooth enamel. The more frequently a person eats, the more bacteria is stimulated, and the more acid is produced. Saliva plays an important part in maintaining our dental health. Saliva can help to neutralize acid caused by eating, so rather than snacking consider combining foods into a larger meal. Saliva is a naturally occurring liquid in the mouth and can wash away food particles which may also be the target of bacteria, as well as helping to replenish teeth with essential nutrients to help withstand acid attacks.

Eating and drinking sensibly, adopting a good dental hygiene regime and making regular appointments with a dentist can all help to ensure that your smile remains healthy and strong, as well as remaining beautiful.

Related Articles:

• Ingredients to Keep Your Smile in Top Shape
• Recipes For A Healthier Smile
• Pregnancy and Your Oral Health

Who's most afraid of the dentist?

According to new research, it's not the who you'd most expect. It's women in their 40s. Ongoing research from the University of Sydney suggests that this demographic is more likely than other age groups to have felt trauma, abuse or oro-facial trauma. These people are also more likely to be depressed, anxious or stressed, researchers found.

"Dental anxiety is very real and complex and it should never be downplayed," study researcher Dr. Avanti Karve, of the University of Sydney Faculty of Dentistry, said in a statement.

Karve explained that people who have a great fear of the dentist wait 17 days, on average, to make an appointment to see the dentist when they are feeling severe pain. Comparatively, the rest of the population who is not as dentalphobic waits just three days. According to a recent study out of the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, about 5 percent of people have a severe dental fear. Those researchers found five strategies that people use to get over their fear of the dentist; their findings are published in the journal Acta Odontologica Scandinavica.

Their study showed that common coping practices include distracting yourself (counting to yourself or playing mental games so that you think about something else), distancing (telling yourself the pain feels like something else), prayer (praying that the dental treatment will end soon), self-efficacy (telling yourself to be strong), and optimism (telling yourself that everything will be OK after the dental treatment).

Related Articles:

• Pregnancy and Your Oral Health
• Different Types of Fillings
• Understanding the Dental Exam

According to spokesman on pediatric dentistry for the ADA (American Dental Association), Jonathan D. Shenkin, fluoride is an extremely important ingredient that promotes a healthy smile. It is important to brush the teeth at last twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, visit the dentist every six months for a fluoride treatment and drink water that is fluoridated.

Government health officials and dentists raise the awareness that bottled water is the one that might be causing the tooth decay complications of your child.

Therefore, they suggest that parents should give their child tap water, because this contains fluoride, which protects against the cavities. Bottled water does not contain a sufficient amount of fluoride, so it is actually not protecting the oral health of your child; in fact, it seems it is doing more harm than good.

According to spokesman on pediatric dentistry for the ADA (American Dental Association), Jonathan D. Shenkin, fluoride is an extremely important ingredient that promotes a healthy smile.

Related Articles:

• Dental Hygiene For Babies
• How to Brush and Floss For Kids
• When Should Baby Teeth Fall Out?

With May being National Smile Month there is even more of a reason to show-off bright smiles for making great first impressions! Gleaming white teeth and a wide smile convey an air of confidence that is important in any situation, from first dates to job interviews. Teeth whitening procedures are certainly effective, but small daily steps can also be helpful and less expensive. Dr. Margaret Mitchell, DDS of the Mitchell Dental Spa in Chicago offers the following tips:

1. WEAR LIPSTICKS THAT CONTAIN A HINT OF BLUE-Blue tones around the mouth can make teeth appear whiter, so when shopping for new makeup, consider red lipstick with blue undertones. These will make your smile appear brighter by offsetting any yellow coloration in the teeth. Coral and orange based lipsticks can make the teeth appear more yellow, so avoid these if you are self-conscious about your pearly whites.
.
2. SNACK ON CRUNCHY FRUITS AND VEGGIES -Mildly abrasive fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots or celery not only provide the body with essential nutrients, but also act as a natural toothbrush by gently scrubbing off small bits of plaque that have gathered on the teeth and gums.
.
3. SWISH WITH WATER AFTER DRINKING TEA OR COFFEE-Coffee, tea and other dark liquids can stain the teeth and leave them looking dingy. To prevent discoloration, simply swish water around in your mouth immediately after consuming a staining liquid.
.
4. CHEW SUGARLESS GUM CONTAINING XYLITOL-Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar substitute, has been added to many sugar-free gums as a sweetening agent, but it also has healthful properties. Chewing a gum containing xylitol, such as Trident, has been shown to reduce the levels of harmful oral bacteria, reducing the likelihood of developing cavities.
.
5. BRUSH TEETH BEFORE GOING FOR A RUN-Running dries out the mouth and any plaque that already exists on the gumline will tend to dry out and calcify, resulting in discoloration and even gum disease. A quick brush before leaving for a run can help solve this problem.