The Impact of Restrictive Diets on your Oral Health

A restrictive diet is one in which certain foods are reduced or eliminated from the diet completely. Sometimes a restrictive diet is followed by choice, such as for religious reasons, and sometimes it’s medically prescribed. Regardless of why a restrictive diet is followed, it can have unwanted effects on our oral health. It is recommended that you advise your dentist of any change to your diet in order to ensure that you maintain the best possible oral health.

Vegetarian/vegan diet : For those who eat a predominantly plant-based diet, acid erosion may be of higher concern due to increased consumption of fruits. Solutions to decrease damage from acid erosion are: use a toothpaste that contains high amounts of fluoride to protect the enamel, drinking water after eating acidic foods to neutralize PH in your mouth.

Importance of vitamins in our diets: Deficiencies in the B complex ( mostly found in the animal products) can cause canker sores, burning mouth syndrome and tongue inflammation. Vitamin D is usually added to milk and other diary products, calcium is found mostly in diary. Both vitamin D and calcium could be lacking in those who follow vegetarian and vegan diets.