Diet Advice for the Best Care of Teeth
What we eat and drink has an effect on our mouths. This section of the site provides information on the role of a healthy diet in relation to a healthy mouth, how sugar in the diet affects teeth and the role of saliva.
Healthy Eating
Why does healthy eating matter?Your general health and your resistance to many diseases depend a lot on eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Your eating and drinking habits also affect the health of your teeth.
Dental plaque is a soft, sticky substance that builds up on your teeth. It is mostly made up of bacteria, which feed on sugar from food and drink, producing acids as a waste product. The acids attack the teeth by dissolving the minerals in the tooth surface. If this happens too often, tooth decay results.
Acids in food and drink can also dissolve away tooth surface. All fizzy drinks (including ‘diet’ brands and fizzy mineral water), all squashes and all fruit juices are acidic to varying degrees. Pickles and citrus fruits are examples of acidic types of food.
After an acid attack, teeth can repair themselves, given the opportunity. It helps if fluoride (a mineral that is an ingredient in most toothpaste, and is in the water supply in some areas) is present in the mouth.
Most dental problems can be avoided if you remove plaque by brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste; and don’t have sugary and / or acidic food and drink too often during the day. Try to have these mostly at mealtimes, not in between.
Chewing sugar-free gum can also help, as this increases the flow of saliva, which helps teeth to repair themselves.
Between meals you should only have ‘safe’ drinks, which are not sugary or acidic. Milk and water are ‘safe’ drinks. So are tea and coffee if you do not add sugar to them (you can use non-sugar sweeteners).
You should try and avoid snacking between meals. If you do snack, only have ‘safe’ snacks, which are not sugary or acidic. Fruits, vegetables and products such as sandwiches, toast, crumpets and pitta bread are all ‘safe’ snacks.
For the sake of your general health, you should be eating at least five portions of vegetables and fruit every day. Dairy products, such as cheese, are ‘safe’ snacks for teeth; but, for the sake of your general health, choose lower fat varieties and don’t have too much.
Remember the rules:
- Always brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
- Only have ‘safe’ drinks and ‘safe’ snacks between meals.
- Eat at least five portions of vegetables and fruit every day.
- Chew sugarfree gum after eating when it’s not possible to brush.
Chewing Gum
After eating, plaque acid attacks your teeth and puts you at risk of tooth decay. This acid attack usually lasts about 20 minutes, but can last for up to two hours.
Saliva provides some natural protection against tooth decay by washing away the remains of food from the mouth and teeth, neutralising plaque acid and helping to repair the early stages of tooth decay.
One way to produce more saliva is to chew sugarfree gum, as this stimulates saliva by up to ten times the normal. To reduce the length of time the teeth are attacked by acid, sugarfree gum should be chewed as soon as possible after eating for at least 20 minutes.
- Chew sugarfree gum after meals and snacks when you cannot brush your teeth
- Chew for at least 20 minutes
Although everyone can benefit from chewing sugarfree gum, it is not recommended for children under the age of six.
Chewing sugarfree gum has been shown to help reduce tooth decay by up to 40%*.
