The Keto diet is praised among communities of aspiring health-lovers and weight-lovers due to its effectiveness in dealing with body fat. Due to its noticeable results on people’s overall physical health, we tend to overlook another important benefit of Keto: a significantly healthier mouth– with a strange breathy side effect. Seems a bit far-fetched? Understanding how the Keto diet affects the body might help connect the dots.
Working with Ketosis
The Keto diet takes advantage of a metabolic state called ketosis, which is reached when the body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates or sugar left to burn for its daily dose of energy. In turn, the body is left to burn fat, which is one of the main reasons why it causes weight loss.
Goodbye, Cavities
Ketosis can be induced by eating low-carb and low sugar foods. Avoiding processed food and simple starches can do so much when it comes to reducing your sugar level. So how is this connected to your oral health?
Sugar is a known enemy to the health of your teeth, so reducing their consumption helps keep cavities away. To take it a step further, taking part in a Keto diet promotes the consumption of food rich in Vitamin K2, such as dairy products and fish fat, which helps fight against gum diseases (such as gingivitis) and inflammation. Not only that, K2 also fights and prevents cavities by growing and protecting the good bacteria residing in our mouths– a requirement for the status of our oral health to be balanced and healthy. K2 can even help form new enamel on our teeth– wow, what a healthy vitamin! All in all, K2 is a great supplement to oral hygiene and oral care, setting the bar for oral health to go up a notch.
Hello, Ketones
The Keto diet doesn’t stop at Vitamin K2, and ketosis doesn’t stop at burning fat. Apart from causing weight loss, Ketosis’ burning of fat cells causes the liver to produce ketones, fatty acids that are released into the bloodstream used to fuel the body’s metabolism. Three types of ketones are produced, one of which being one called acetone, which the body finds unusable. As an effect, acetone is released into the urine, and is also what causes…
The Keto Breath Side Effect
Keto breath is an unpleasant odor that lingers in the mouth due to acetone release. Some might say it’s a small price to pay for the rapid effects of Keto, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t bother anyone. Thankfully, Keto breath can be easily resolved with the following simple remedies:
- Ease into the diet– don’t dive in. This gives your body time to adjust to the changes brought about by ketosis, which means your ketones won’t have to come out all at once, either.
- Chew some sugar-free gum. Gum not only freshens your breath, it also stimulates the production of saliva.
- Drink a lot of water. A dry mouth is attractive to bad bacteria, so make sure you moisten it up with water to avoid plaque buildup.
- Take time to de-stress. Stress can also reduce the production of saliva, so it’s best to treat yourself to some peace of mind on a regular basis.
- Remember to scrape your tongue as a part of your oral hygiene routine. This is to help remove sulfur buildup.
- Add fresh herbs, such as mint, to your water or tea. These are natural breath fresheners, keeping your mouth cool and free from any funky smells.
Conclusion
Ketosis, being a metabolic process, affects nearly all parts of the body in a good and healthy way– the mouth being one of them. The funky smell may come as a surprise, at first, but after clearing it up with proper hydration, you will be able to see and feel the benefits Keto has on your oral health.
Be sure to keep up with your regular dental cleanings! Don’t let your dental benefits expire before the end of the year. To book an appointment with our Long Beach dental team, or if you have any insurance questions, please call us at 562-434-6414, or request an appointment on this site.
