A beautiful and healthy smile has a lot to do with your diet. It’s mostly with regular consumption of certain fruits and vegetables that a person may be able to have strong teeth and a healthy smile.

Any fruit and vegetable that is crunchy has the ability to whiten teeth naturally and help remove plaque from teeth, says Dr Susan Judith Tito Mamani a dental surgeon at Kigali Adversity Dental Clinic.

"The nutrition benefits found in vegetables and fruits play a big role in the formation of strong white teeth, as fruits and vegetables do not have artificial sugars to damage teeth. Especially when you crunch on a raw fruit or vegetable, your mouth produces more saliva, washing away bacteria leading to healthy teeth and mouth,” she says.

Sticky foods are the main source of teeth damaging and Manani tells people to always eat veggies like carrots, kale or broccoli to further help protect teeth due to their minerals and mouth health benefits.

"Sticky foods remain on the surface of the teeth, surrounding pits species and make such a great deposit for bacteria to grow and decay teeth. If you cannot manage to brush after eating, just crush on a row carrot or apple and they will help you clean the surfaces of your teeth,” she says.

Vegetables are good sources of potassium that works to strengthen and prevent bones from breaking down including teeth bones, however Mamani says that some vegetables contain a lot of stain which may result into other foodborne illnesses, and therefore urges people to always clean well their foods before cooking them.

Diane Mbabazi, a senior undergraduate student at Kigali Health Institute, in the dentistry department says they have always been taught to train patients maintain their mouth health using available natural products.

"Although we carry out teeth whitening, it is not always advisable because the process requires a lot of chemicals that may weaken teeth and become more sensitive after using them for a long time,” Mbabazi says.

She cites out some of the best fruits and vegetables for mouth health such as carrots that act as a ‘natural toothbrush.’ The chewing act massages a gum and it is rich in vitamin A which is crucial for strengthening delicate tooth enamel.

Apples have natural sugars that help neutralise harmful acids in the mouth giving a good breath and increase saliva flow.

Pineapples are also a natural stain remover and contain an enzyme called bromelain that helps with removing plaque from the surface of teeth, contributing to the whitening of teeth.

Watermelon and strawberries also contain compounds with lightening properties. They act like a toothbrush by scrubbing teeth every time we bite on them leading to healthier and whiter teeth.