Do Your Body A Favor, Keep Teeth Healthy
When was your last dental checkup?
Although most people don’t give it much thought, having a healthy mouth and sturdy teeth or well-fitting dentures is critical to good nutrition. Obviously, if your mouth is uncomfortable, there’s a good chance you’ll skip hard-to-chew foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat and chicken. That increases the likelihood you’ll choose cookies and ice cream instead.
You could do that once in while and get away with it. But a steady diet of soft, sugary foods will only make matters worse.
The Nutrition Screening Initiative points out that, by the age of 50, 11 percent of Americans have lost their teeth, 47 percent need dental care for cavities in the roots and crowns of their teeth, and 57 percent need help with problems such as receding or inflamed gums.
And dental problems increase alarmingly with age. Two out of three men and three out of five women over age 65 have root cavities, while 88 percent have receding gums that allow plaque and bacteria to get to those root surfaces, increasing the likelihood that cavities will multiply.
Numerous studies have shown that sugary foods increase the risk of cavities. And several years ago, a grocery-store marketing survey showed older adults ate more cookies than any other age group, even teenagers! The good news is that dairy foods, like milk, yogurt and cheese, help protect teeth from cavities. That’s a bonus, since the extra calcium and vitamin D are good for bone health, too.
Receding or inflamed gums will need good nutrition to heal. Getting adequate protein from easy-to-eat dairy foods can help. Other good, easy-to-chew protein sources include ground meat and legumes like beans, peas and lentils. They also provide some zinc, helpful to the immune system for fighting infection, and a wide array of B vitamins. Vitamin C is also important for healthy gums. You can get that from orange or other citrus juice.
Here’s a one-day, easy-chew food plan that will meet your nutritional needs until you can get to the dentist:
Breakfast: 8 ounces orange juice, 1 packet cooked hot cereal, 1/2 cup milk.
Snack: 1/2 cup milk, soft oatmeal cookie.
Lunch: 1/2 cup cooked rice stirred into 1 cup lentil, bean, or split pea soup, 8 ounces vegetable juice, 1 cup fruit-flavored yogurt with a sliced ripe banana
Snack: Whipped cream cheese on seedless rye bread.
Dinner: 3 ounces crumbled, cooked ground beef (well-drained), 1/2 cup instant or refrigerated mashed potatoes with milk and margarine, 1/2 cup well-cooked broccoli florets or chopped spinach, 1 slice bread with margarine.
Snack: Fruit shake made by blending 1 cup milk or yogurt with your favorite fresh fruit. Sweeten to taste, or add a little cocoa powder while blending
Many older adults also suffer from dry mouth caused by the medicines they take, certain health problems or radiation therapy.
Having a normal amount of saliva helps chewing and swallowing, improves the taste of food, starts digestion, prevents tooth decay and protects the mouth lining.
Many people resort to sucking on candy or mints to increase saliva, yet that puts teeth at risk for decay. The Nutrition Screening Initiative suggests chewing sugarless gum or mixing a few drops of glycerin with lemon extract or using artificial saliva, which you can buy over the counter.
Only 43 percent of Americans over age 65 visit their dentist annually. The rest wait until they’re in serious pain before they go. You can do better than that. Protect your teeth and gums by eating a well-balanced diet and visiting your dentist regularly. A healthy mouth is the gateway to a healthy body.
xxxx SOME FACTS The Nutrition Screening Initiative points out that, by the age of 50, 11 percent of Americans have lost their teeth, 47 percent need dental care for cavities in the roots and crowns of their teeth, and 57 percent need help with problems such as receding or inflamed gums.