Women's Dental Health

Dieting Could Damage Your Smile

The same diet that promises to make you slim and trim, could cause you a world of dental problems.

Food stimulates our body to produce saliva, "nature's mouthwash" Saliva helps wash away plaque bacteria that produce the volatile sulfur compoundswhich give breath its bad smell. Saliva also directly dissolves these compounds helping breath smell fresher as well. Furthermore, saliva neutralizes acids produced by plaque bacteria. These acids eat into tooth enamel to create cavities.

Consequently, when we diet, less saliva is produced putting our oral health at risk. Diet pills directly cause a decrease in saliva flow, worsening the situation.

Crash diets are especially dangerous. Not only is saliva flow drastically reduced, but people using these diets often fail to ingest adequate amounts of cacium, vitamin B-2 and vitamin B-10 which are crucial to the maintenance of healthy gums. The lack of these vitamins makes people much more susceptible to gum disease.

If you diet, remember to drink ample amounts of water to keep you mouth moist. The drinking action will also stimulate saliva flow as will chewing sugarless gum. Pay special attention to your oral care since you will be more susceptible to problems. Brush twice a day and don't forget to floss daily as well. These are especially important while dieting since you will be more susceptible to oral problems while dieting.

Make sure to get enough vitamins and minerals and avoid crash diets at all costs. Your best bet is to consult your doctor before going on any new diet.