Health

Health Watch: 'Smile-Friendly' Foods

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Certain "smile-friendly" foods can actually help build healthy teeth and gums.

Ali Haymes, 12, has never had a cavity. Her mom says she takes after her father. "My husband has great teeth…and she lucked out and got very healthy teeth," Leslie Winter said.

But diet could be another reason for Ali's flawless smile.

"She doesn't like soda…and she doesn't like a lot of sweets, Winter said."

"I eat a lot of fruit and eat vegetables," Ali said.

Doctor Mary Hayes of the American Dental Association says several foods are essential to maintaining dental health. First, milk, yogurt and cheese can neutralize cavity-causing acids by raising the pH level of the mouth.

"Milk is basic…so if you have something acidic and you have some milk you are going to bring yourself back to neutral more easily than if you just have an acidic diet all the time," Dr. Hayes said.

Next, crisp fruits and vegetables help manually clean the teeth.

"When you chew an apple or you chew a carrot… those foods tend to scrape off debris and plaque," Dr. Hayes said.

She says foods that are high in vitamin C help prevent gingivitis - the first stage of gum disease. Vitamin C builds collagen in the gums.

Good sources include strawberries, kiwis, peppers and, of course, citrus fruits.

"In olden days if there was not enough vitamin C they would get scurvy, and then they would have terrible mouth sores and lose their teeth," Dr. Hayes said.

Finally, the oils in nuts and even chocolate have benefits, as well. According to Dr. Hayes, "These oils will actually decrease the activity in the bacteria that cause decay."

As for Ali, her mom hopes she'll always watch her diet to help protect her beautiful smile. "That's no root canals, no cavities and stay healthy eating the foods that she does now," Winter said.

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