Welcome to the Chattanooga Center for Comprehensive Dentistry blog. Today we’d like to discuss another aspect of how your diet can impact your dental health.
In the article “Fatty Fish, Nuts May Prevent Gum Disease,” author Jennifer Warner explains that a recent study links diets high in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with a lower risk of gum disease.
Gum disease is a common dental condition for many men and women. When gum tissue pulls back from a tooth, it forms a pocket. This pocket is a warm, moist place for bacteria to flourish. (You know what they say about Nature abhorring a vacuum.)
If gum disease (periodontitis) goes untreated, the teeth and jawbone are in jeopardy. During dental examinations, we measure gumline pockets and examine all teeth for gum disease.
“Researchers found that people whose diets were rich in PUFAs were as much as 30 percent less likely to have gum disease than those who ate little or none of this type of fat.”
Foods abundant in PUFAs include salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring. Oils high in PUFAs include safflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and margarine made with the previously mentioned oils. Almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds are high PUFA nuts/seeds.
I don’t know many people who eat mackerel and herring commonly. Maybe some of us could benefit from becoming more adventurous when it comes to seafood.
The possible prevention of gum disease is not the only reason to eat high PUFA foods. These foods pack a nutritional punch and have a myriad of health benefits. The next time you are stocking up at your grocery store, you may want to add some salmon and walnuts to your list.
It is essential to understand that diet alone will not treat or help you prevent gum disease, however, it may be an additional tool for maintaining healthy teeth and gums.
If you have not been to your family dentist in a while, we urge you to schedule an examination and cleaning today. We are currently taking new dental patients at Chattanooga Center for Comprehensive Dentistry.
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20101026/fatty-fish-may-prevent-gum-disease
Contact Chattanooga Center for Comprehensive Dentistry:
423-756-1540
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
830 Cherokee Blvd, Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga, Tennessee
37405
