Hydration is important for a number of reasons: it regulates your body temperature, keeps joints lubricated, prevents infection, gets rid of waste, ensures organs function properly, gives your skin a healthy glow, and delivers nutrients to your cells.

Aside from all the benefits proper hydration offers your general health, most people don’t realize the significance proper hydration has on oral health. 

What is the best beverage for your teeth?

Despite their popularity, the answer is not soda or juice — we know, shocking. 

As you might have guessed, water is the best beverage for your teeth — and not just because it doesn’t contain sugar or any ingredients that can harm your teeth. 

Water does a lot more for your oral health than you might think… 

1. Water strengthens your teeth – As many of you already know, fluoride helps strengthen your teeth, and most dentist visits end with a coating of fluoride. But, did you know that you can actually drink water with fluoride in it as an easy way to help prevent cavities?

2. Water keeps your mouth clean – Drinks like soda, juice, Gatorade – all taste good, but they can leave sugar behind on your teeth after you drink them. The bacteria in your mouth that causes cavities feeds off of sugar, so you should take advantage of any way to avoid ingesting extra sugar; making water your preferred drink is an easy one. 

3. Water fights dry mouth – Saliva helps fight tooth decay, while also washing away leftover food, helping you swallow, and keeping your teeth strong. When your saliva production is low, you may begin to experience dry mouth – which is not only uncomfortable, but can also put you at increased risk for tooth decay. 

4. Water is calorie free – While drinking water has so many positive benefits for your overall health, one of its added perks is that it’s calorie-free; in fact, increasing your water intake can actually help you lose weight.

Signs that you’re dehydrated

But how do I know if I’m doing enough to stay hydrated? 

It’s pretty easy to tell when you’re dehydrated because your body will give you some obvious signs. 

Common symptoms of dehydration can include:

• Feeling thirsty
• Dark yellow or strong-smelling urine
• Feeling dizzy
• Fatigue 
• Headache 
• Dry mouth, lips or eyes
• Dry skin
• Infrequent urination (as little as 4 times a day)

If you start to notice that you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms, you’re most likely dehydrated. A tall glass of water should help you start to feel better, but that’s not all. 

Check out these top hydrating snacks that you can include in your diet to fight dehydration.

We’ll list a few of our favorites here.

Top hydrating snacks 

1. Watermelon – There should be no surprise here, considering watermelon contains 92% water. Watermelon is healthy and one of the most hydrating foods you can eat. Not to mention it’s the perfect food to snack on during hot summer days at the beach or by the pool. 

2. Strawberries – Strawberries contain 91% water, but not only that, they are rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin c, folate, and manganese.

3. Cantaloupe – We swear, there is more on this list than just fruit… but most fruit contains high concentrations of water. Cantaloupe contains 90% water, it’s extremely nutritious and can boost your health in so many ways. 

4. Cucumber – This vegetable contains 95% water and is actually one of the lowest in calories. Cucumbers can easily be added to your diet by incorporating them in salads, sandwiches, stir fries, soups, or just eaten by themselves

5. Broths and soups – Containing 92% water, broths and soups are usually water based and are very hydrating and nutritious. 

6. Plain yogurt – Yogurt contains 88% water and is also a great source of protein. In order to gain full benefits from yogurt, choose plain yogurt over the variety of flavored ones. 

Hydration is key for healthy teeth and healthy teeth makes for a beautiful smile! 

Crown Dental encourages you to take care of your teeth this summer (and always) by staying hydrated and coming in for dental checkups. Give us a call today to book your next cleaning!