What To Eat When Your Teeth and Gums Hurt

What to eat when your teeth and gums hurt:

• If you do not know why your teeth and gums are hurting, you should see a dentist to determine the cause.

• If your teeth or gum pain comes after a dental procedure: Soft diet is best. (Soups, pasta, yogurt etc.) Avoid crunchy and sticky foods.  Avoid the side of your mouth that had the dental treatment. Eat only small bites of food to prevent your teeth from making forceful contact. Avoid anything very hot on the first day—it can promote bleeding. Drink lots of fluids (5-6 cups/day).

• There are some probiotics designed for oral health—it is unclear if they are regulated or shown to accomplish what they claim. A few key naturally occurring oral bacteria can act as antagonists to harmful oral bacteria that cause bad breath and affect tooth health. The probiotics claim to naturally compete with the harmful bacteria for nutrients and space to help balance the good bacteria in the mouth that are essential for oral health.

• Probiotics are thought to make the neighborhood less desirable for the harmful oral bacteria. Hydrogen peroxide may be produced by a probiotic. It does 2 things: whiten the teeth and stop periodontal pathogens from colonizing the teeth. Lactic acid produced by the probiotic prevents dental caries by producing an antibiotic type substance that effectively kills the most common tooth decay bacteria.

• A diet containing no grains/no legumes showed reduction in phytates--meaning calcium, magnesium, and other minerals are more bioavailable in your body--and reduction of pro-inflammatory anti-nutrients such as gluten and lectins.

• A diet with no refined flour or starch = reduction of retentive fermentable carbohydrates that can cause dental cavities on teeth. 

Note: The information in this article is not meant to replace the clinical judgement of your healthcare professionals.