How Hydrating Keeps Your Smile Healthy: Tips from Your Toronto Periodontist

When it comes to maintaining healthy teeth and gums, we all know the importance of brushing, flossing, and scheduling regular dental checkups with your dentist or periodontist. But did you know hydrating could play an equally significant role in supporting good oral health?

How Hydration Impacts Your Oral Health

Like the rest of your body, your mouth needs water to function properly. Our saliva, which is 99% water, plays a crucial role in maintaining good oral health. It helps wash away food particles, neutralize acids produced by bacteria, and keep your mouth moist, preventing dry mouth—a condition that can lead to bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease. When your body doesn’t get enough water saliva production decreases, making your mouth more susceptible to these serious problems.

Oral Health Benefits of Drinking Enough Water

Prevents Dry Mouth

As mentioned, dry mouth can lead to several potentially serious dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease. Drinking water keeps your mouth hydrated, ensuring saliva production remains at optimal levels.

Cleanses Your Mouth

While it won’t replace tooth brushing, water acts as a natural mouth cleanser. It helps rinse away leftover food and debris that might otherwise linger in your mouth and contribute to plaque buildup and bad breath.

Strengthens Teeth

In Toronto, fluoride is added to all public drinking water. This tasteless mineral, which is also found in most toothpastes, is known to reinforce enamel and help reduce cavities and tooth decay.

Supports Gum Health

Staying hydrated can help keep your gums healthy and pink by ensuring they remain moist and resilient. Like avoiding dry mouth, keeping your gums hydrated reduces the risk of inflammation and gum disease.

Maintains pH Balance

Water helps dilute and wash away acids produced by bacteria in your mouth. This is especially important after eating acidic or sugary foods, as it helps maintain a neutral pH balance, protecting your teeth from erosion.

Promotes Overall Health

Your oral health is closely connected to your overall health. Staying hydrated supports your body’s overall functions, including those that contribute to a healthy mouth. Good hydration helps your immune system fight off infections, including those that can affect your gums.

Tips on Staying Hydrated

• Carry a Water Bottle: Make it a habit to carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. This will remind you to sip water throughout the day.
• Eat Water-Rich Foods: Incorporate fruits and vegetables with high water content into your diet, such as cucumbers, watermelon, and oranges. Not only will this help with hydration, but you’ll also be getting a boost of essential nutrients (and they taste great)!
• Set Hydration Goals: If you struggle with drinking enough water, set daily hydration goals. Several free apps offer water intake tracking or try a smart bottle that can automatically send reminders when it is time to drink up.
• Replace Sugary Drinks: Instead of reaching for soda or juice, opt for water. Sugary beverages are well known to contribute to tooth decay and have little nutritional value; swapping them for water is a win-win for your both your oral health and your physical wellbeing.
• Drink a Glass of Water with Every Meal: Drinking a large glass of water with every meal is a simple habit that can help ensure you’re drinking enough water daily. Plus, it aids in digestion and helps rinse away food particles after eating.

Hydration might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about oral health, but it’s a critical component of keeping your mouth healthy. So, the next time you reach for a glass of water, remember—you’re not just quenching your thirst, you’re also doing your smile a favour.