Healthy diet for healthy teeth

Diet Advice to help keep teeth healthy.

Every health care professional will give you slightly different advice with regard to healthy
eating. As Dental Care Professionals we focus on eating habits, as well as, what we are
eating.
Every time you eat or drink the surfaces of your teeth are affected. The mouth becomes
acidic, this is known as an acid attack. Because of the acidic environment the enamel on
your teeth starts to demineralise. At this point the enamel is at risk of decay. Once you have
stopped eating or drinking the enamel starts to remineralise, this takes up to 30 minutes.
Therefore it is important to reduce the amount of times that you eat throughout the day,
therefore reduce the amount of acid attacks. It is recommended to have no more than 4 acid
attacks per day.
As well as the frequency of which we eat, the type of food is also important. A healthy diet is
a balanced diet. The ‘Eatwell Plate’ was designed to demonstrate the types of food and the
amount of each food needs to be in our diet.

Which foods can cause dental decay?

Some foods are more likely to cause decay than others. For example a food that is
high in sugar demineralises the enamel quicker, this makes it more likely to cause decay.
Here is a list of foods and drinks that are high in sugar or acidic.
● sugary soft drinks
● sweets and chocolate confectionery
● cakes and biscuits
● buns, pastries, fruit pies
● puddings
● table sugar
● sugary breakfast cereals
● jams, preserves, honey
● ice cream and sorbets
● fruit juices and smoothies
● milk-based beverages with added sugar
● sugar-containing alcoholic drinks
● dried fruits
● syrups and sweet sauces
In summary to keep your teeth as healthy as you can limit the frequency in which you eat
and try and avoid sugary food and drinks.