As the leaves turn and the air becomes crisp, pumpkins take center stage, not just for Halloween decorations but also in hearty autumn dishes like soups and roasts. Interestingly, a dentist has now highlighted how this seasonal staple can also benefit your oral health.

Dr. Raj Juneja, the principal dentist at Face Teeth Smile Dental Clinics, emphasizes that oral health is influenced not only by regular brushing and flossing but also by the nutrients we ingest. “Pumpkin is packed with essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, magnesium, vitamin C, and vitamin A,” he notes.

These nutrients are crucial for oral well-being. Vitamin A supports tooth enamel and the mucous membranes in the mouth, while vitamin C fortifies gum tissue and helps prevent bleeding and inflammation.

Dr. Juneja points out that a single cup of pumpkin meets your entire daily requirement for vitamin A and provides about 20 percent of your daily vitamin C intake, making it a tasty and effective way to enhance your oral health this season.

He also recommends snacking on roasted pumpkin seeds, which are rich in magnesium. This mineral helps strengthen tooth enamel, offering extra protection against decay.

A serving of pumpkin contributes to one of your five-a-day portions of fruits and vegetables, as advised by the NHS. This portion is equivalent to an 80-gram serving, or roughly three heaped tablespoons of cooked and chopped pumpkin.

Whilst pumpkin might be a seasonal favourite with some surprising health benefits, a number of other autumn staples aren’t quite as beneficial for your teeth, according to the expert.

Particularly, the sheer volume of sweets and sugar doing the rounds in October. The dental professionals specifically cautioned people against consuming sticky or chewy confectionery that adheres to the teeth and gets trapped in crevices, making it challenging to dislodge and enabling bacteria to gorge on the remaining sugars, heightening your risk of dental decay.

Acidic sweets can also inflict some harm due to the mixture of sugar and acid, which can wear away the enamel surrounding your teeth. Whilst abandoning the sugary indulgences altogether will probably benefit your teeth and general wellbeing the most, the dentist provided a middle ground. Rather than sticky or acidic sweets, choose some dissolving alternatives instead.

He explained: “If you want to enjoy something sweet, a small piece of dark chocolate is a better option. It contains less sugar and melts away quickly, making it less likely to linger on your teeth.

“Alternatively, sugar-free gum can be a helpful choice. Chewing gum stimulates saliva flow, which naturally washes away sugars and acids, strengthens enamel, and helps maintain healthy gums.”