Every day, people like you eat a dozen different types of foods. Each of these foods may be problematic for your dental health. However, the best dentists Iowa City has to offer will tell you about the power of carrots, explaining why they are excellent for your oral health. In fact, some say that eating a bowl of carrots is like brushing your teeth without a brush.

How Carrots Help Your Teeth

Carrots are low-calorie foods with a rough exterior texture. When you chew them, the small bits of carrots will rub up against the surface of your teeth in a slightly abrasive manner. Thankfully, the scraping will lack the ability to damage your teeth. Instead, chewing carrots will actually destroy the bacteria and plaque buildups in your mouth.

This benefit is particularly pronounced if you chew your carrots slowly and let the pieces spread through your mouth. Take your time when eating a carrot and it is more likely to break away a maximum amount of plaque. While carrots can never replace proper dental care methods, they may be a nice benefit for those who suffer from mediocre dental health.

Raw Carrots are Best

While the keratins in carrots will be available in cooked carrots, they will only be there in smaller amounts. That’s because cooking carrots – especially boiling and frying – leaches many of their nutrients. If you do have to cook carrots when eating them, try to steam them to retain the highest concentration of keratin for your teeth.

However, cooked carrots also lack the rough texture that is common with raw ones. Unfortunately, this means that they won’t scrape away the bacteria and plaque with the same consistency as raw carrots. As a result, it is probably best to stick to raw carrots – whether eaten whole or chopped up in a salad – as a way of improving your dental health.

Get Your Child to Enjoy Carrots

If you are trying to get your child to enjoy carrots with their meals but they gag every time they eat one, there are several ways you can acclimate them to this vegetable. Start with cooked carrots flavored with butter and cheese. Children will enjoy the buttery and cheesy taste and will, eventually, learn how to enjoy the healthy taste of carrots.

Once you’ve gotten your children used to cooked carrots, you can pair raw carrots with one or more dips. Ranch is a good choice for children with picky tastes. However, guacamole, hummus, and even spinach dips are a good raw carrot dip choices for more adventurous children.

Let Us Help You

So if you are interested in learning more about how the power of carrots can improve your oral health, you should contact the best dentists Iowa City has to offer. These professionals will take the time to fully understand your needs and will ensure that you look great and feel even better about your teeth.

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