Keep your smile bright and healthy with the vegan-friendly tips below.
Your diet
There is lots of food we can eat that can help rather than hinder our teeth health, as you can see from the section below. Although, avoiding sugar where possible is always a good choice no matter what your dietary preference. The reason is that when we consume sugar, the mouth creates acid to break it down. Unfortunately, this acid does such a good job that it also starts to break down the enamel covering our teeth as well. Sadly this loss of enamel can lead to yellowing and cavities over time.
Foods that are good for your teeth
There are foods you can eat that can help to remineralise, that boosts the enamel on your teeth. One particularly good source of this is the vitamin K found in broccoli. Then there is all that lovely calcium you can get from legumes like lentil and beans. In fact, calcium is present in many vegan-friendly foods such as kale, almonds, spinach, and black-eyed peas too.
Potassium is another essential nutrient for healthy teeth. This is because it helps to regulate the acid levels in our blood. After all, too much acid stops the body being able to absorb calcium and therefore, can harm our teeth. In this case, look for food like sweet potatoes, swiss chard, prunes and banana, which are all high in potassium.
There are some pretty delicious things we can all eat to boost plaque control as well. Try chickpeas, lentils, peanuts and pumpkin seeds. All of which are natural (and vegan friendly) sources of arginine.
This amino acid works to break down plaque on the teeth, so it’s beneficial indeed. Oh, it’s also pretty good at preventing cavities and gum disease as well, so definitely a substance that you will want to get more of in your diet.
Also, don’t forget to include plenty of vitamin A filled food in your diet as this can help stop you from getting a dry mouth and keep all the membrane in your mouth areas healthy. The good news is there is plenty of vitamin A in food like cantaloupe, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes as well as carrots. Basically, any plant-based food that is orange will do here. You can get your daily vitamin A dose from leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale too.
Finally, your body requires plenty of vitamin D to absorb the calcium need for healthy teeth. With that in mind, be sure to include plenty of portabella mushrooms into your diet. Although if you are not too keen on mushrooms, you may wish to opt for an over the counter supplement as well.
A little help from the professionals
Whether you eat a vegan diet or not, regular trips to the dentist and good oral hygiene are also essential. If you are to keep your teeth healthy and looking their best, that is.
That means brushing after every meal and flossing twice a day. However, many of us, including those embracing the vegan lifestyle, are interested in more environmentally sustainable options. This means we greatly dislike the idea of using disposable plastic floss on a daily basis.
The good news is that there is a more sustainable and effective alternative. It’s to use a water pick. An electronic flossing device that pushes water under pressure from a small nozzle allowing you to safely clean the spaces between your teeth.
Additionally, there are also procedures and cosmetic enhancements that you can use to boost the health of your teeth and the look of your smile.
One of the most popular of these is to correct the look of crooked teeth with braces. In fact, there are a wealth of braces on the market that are not only comfortable to wear but are also invisible. Although they do take a substantial amount of time to work.
Alternatively, some people prefer the instant transformation that is possible with veneers. That is thin covers that can mask missing or crooked teeth. Of course, traditional getting veneers has been something of a challenging process, what with the need to shave down the natural teeth. However, it is now possible to get custom made veneers that clip-in instantly. Something that can make having straight, healthy-looking teeth, immediate.
Choosing the right cleaning and care products
Of course, when it comes to tooth health, choosing the right type of care and maintenance products is pretty essential too. The good news here is that there is a whale bunch of toothpaste on the market whose specific purpose is to whiten and brighten your teeth.
Unfortunately, not all kinds of toothpaste are vegan friendly. In fact, some contain propolis from bees or animal-based glycerin. Also, even for folks not following a vegan diet, toothpaste can be too full of chemicals. Not to mention the problem that all the waste that involved with those plastic tubes caused.
Happily, there is a solution and is making your own vegan, zero waste toothpaste. It’s actually super easy to do and will help keep your teeth in tip-top condition.
The first thing you need to do is gather up the ingredients needed:
- 20 drops peppermint essential oil
- 6 tsp Bentonite Clay (food grade)
- 1 tsp Baking soda (aluminium free)
- 0.5 tsp table salt
- A recycled glass jar to store toothpaste
Next, you can begin by boiling your glass jar and the lid for 5 minutes. This will disinfect it and ensure its sterilized for use. While this is going on, leave the peppermint oil to one side and mix all the other ingredients together using a pestle and mortar.
Then, place the mixture in the cooled and dried glass jar, add in the essential oils and stir. A word of wearing here though, be sure not to use any metal spoon or utensils when making this product, always go for wood or glass instead.
Finally, you can close up the jar. Keep in a cool, dry place, and your toothpaste should last for around 6 months! Natural, vegan, and no waste!
Your makeup and your smile
Finally, when it comes to your smile, the tones of makeup that you use can really make a difference here, especially when it comes to lipstick. This is because lip colors with a blue undertone can help to make less than entirely white teeth appear much brighter.
Conversely, lipsticks with an orange undertone will make teeth appear more yellow. In fact, this rule applies to whatever color of lipstick you choose so whether you want to go for red, brown, pink or mauve, be sure to find one that has a formula based around blue.
Sadly, this can be even more of a stretch for those following a vegan way of life, as their makeup selection is already often much reduced. The good news is that it’s not an impossible task altogether. In fact, you can get some recommendations for great lipsticks that are 100% vegan friendly here.
Final thoughts
In summary, no matter what your chosen diet, if you want to keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright, there are four things you need to do. The first is to include the right vitamins and minerals in your diet, while the second is to seek professional help with dental and cosmetic issues when needed. The third is to choose the right tooth cleaning products, and the final thing is to make sure you have the right tone of lipstick. Then your teeth will truly shine.