Oral Health & Weight Loss Go Hand in Hand

When embarking on a new weight loss journey, you probably have your skinny jeans in mind, not your teeth. However, a healthy lifestyle is the best prevention for illness and chronic disease. And the good choices you’re making positively affect your body, your overall health, and also your smile!

Congratulations on Making Better Food Choices

Oral health depends on more than how many times a day you brush your teeth, your diet also plays in important role! When you choose healthier foods for your body, you are also choosing better foods for your teeth. Likewise, when you swap chips and fruit snacks for healthier snacks like cheese, veggies and nuts, you’ve made the right choice.  A diet low in sugar and processed foods helps to trim your waistline, fend off illness and prevent cavities.

We See You’re Drinking More Water… Great Job!

Perhaps before you started your weight loss journey you would reach for a soda rather than water at mealtime. Did you know that one in four Americans get at least 200 calories a day from sugary drinks like soda – Yikes! You probably don’t need us to remind you that frequent soda consumption lead to weight gain and contribute to tooth decay.

Eliminating soda from your diet, or at least consuming it in moderation, is a good way to cut back on calories and cavities. And now that you’re drinking more water, you probably realize how good it makes you feel, especially since it is calorie-free.

Sweating with a Smile

By maintaining a healthy weight, you protect yourself from serious health conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, just to name a few. As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, these diseases often go hand in hand with periodontal, or gum disease. In fact, 91 percent of patients with heart disease and 22 percent of those with diabetes also have gum disease. In addition to weight loss, your commitment to regular exercise will help to decrease stress, weather those winter blues and your smile will reap the benefits too!

One Last Word of Advice

It is widely known that almost nothing tastes good after you brush your teeth, so your friends at Smileboston Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry recommend that you let good oral hygiene help stave off food cravings! Brushing your teeth or chewing a piece of sugar-free gum can help cravings to pass and you’ll be less inclined to eat with a minty fresh mouth. In addition to enjoying clean teeth, two minutes of brushing burns around 5 calories. It’s not much, but it’s something!

Congratulations on your commitment to good health. Smileboston Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry is here to help you ensure that your teeth and gums are tip top shape. With two beautiful offices in Brookline, MA and on Boston’s South Shore, Smileboston offers comprehensive dental care ranging from general and laser dentistry, to dental implants and full smile makeovers. Visit Smileboston online to view our full menu of services.