Keto Diet: What is it doing to your Teeth?

Keto Diet: What is it doing to your Teeth?

Low-carb diets have become increasingly more popular over the years – one of the most recent being the Ketogenic diet or Keto diet. With so much focus on the weight loss aspect of the Keto diet, less attention is being paid to how these diets affect our teeth.

Read on to find out what the Keto diet does for oral health.

The effect of diet on oral health

Typically we view diets as a measure to kickstart weight loss and get healthy. However, a diet affects your whole body, including your teeth.

In general, sugar and carbohydrates are the worst things for oral health. Sugar and carbohydrates are the main culprits behind tooth decay, cavities, and acid erosion of the teeth. When sugary foods and carbohydrates are consumed, the bacteria in your mouth becomes overwhelmed and begins to release excess acid that can lead to cavities. So if you imagine a diet with lots of bread, pizza, candy, and soft drinks – that’s about as bad as it can get.

Conversely, the best diet for your teeth is a low-carb, low sugar and high protein diet with plenty of dairy and vegetables.

Is the Keto diet good for my teeth?

Fortunately for your teeth, the Keto diet is great for your teeth! It involves minimal carbs, high fat, and allows for consumption of dairy.

Limiting carbohydrates and sugar reduces acid erosion on teeth, and the Keto diet also reduces tartar build up, and the risk of cavities.  

However, people doing the Keto diet say beware of the Keto breath! It’s killer, but it’s not harmful to your overall oral health. Ensure that you’re brushing your teeth the recommended twice a day, and maybe stay away from the smelly foods causing everyone around you discomfort.

Tips for sustainable oral health

A diet often implies a short-term lifestyle change. However, for the best oral health results, a low-carb, low-sugar diet needs to be maintained over time. Relapsing into old ways of high soda consumption will damage your teeth, regardless of the good phases where you maintained a good diet for a period of time.

If you find yourself tempted by foods that are bad for your teeth we recommend creating a food plan for yourself and a routine. Over time the habit will stick, and you’ll find yourself desiring the bad foods less and less.

Get advice on the right diet for your teeth!

Everyone is different and operates differently on certain diets. If you really want the best diet for your teeth, the best course of action is to consult a nutritionist and your dentist to find the best diet of foods for your oral health and overall health. Redbank Plains Dental is Redbank’s local dentist. To find out more about the services we offer, contact us today.