Your mom probably told you more than once to eat your veggies as a kid, but continuing to eat your vegetables throughout your life is important—even for your smile. Take a look at just a few of the reasons vegetables can be an excellent dietary addition for the support of a healthy smile.

Crunchy vegetables may actually help clean your teeth.

Take a bite of fresh, uncooked broccoli. Chew it up slowly and feel how the roughage rubs against all the interior parts of your mouth, including your teeth. Vegetables with a lot of fiber like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, beets, and even celery do a really good job of sloughing away the plaque and tartar that can accumulate on your tooth enamel. Plus, vegetables can do a really good job of cleaning your tongue, which is part of the mouth commonly overlooked during brushing. When you eat foods that clean your teeth, you are less likely to see issues with decay because you have a generally cleaner smile overall.

Fresh veggies are full of smile-supporting nutrients.

Vitamins and minerals are found in the highest concentrations in fresh fruits and vegetables. For example, a single leaf of spinach contains:

• Vitamins A, B2, B6, C, E, and K
• Calcium
• Manganese
• Zinc
• Copper
• Iron
• Phosphorous

Eating a well-balanced diet with a load of vitamins and nutrients can be really good for bone health, circulatory health, and more, which means this kind of diet also supports a healthy smile.

Some vegetables may fight bad breath.

Sure, some veggies have a pungent smell that may contribute to oddly foul breath, but there are also certain types of vegetables that can actually help your breath. Some fiber-rich vegetables like celery and carrots can actually help encourage your salivary glands to produce more saliva. In turn, bacteria and foul-smelling debris in your mouth can be washed away.

Get Serious About a Healthy Smile in Beavercreek, OH

They say you are what you eat, but really, your health is what you eat, including your oral health. If you are ready to talk about keeping your smile as healthy as possible, reach out to us at Bellbrook Family Dentistry in Beavercreek, OH to schedule an appointment.