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Brush up on your dental health
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A tooth-friendly diet
Snacking on sugary food and drink between mealtimes has been established as a major cause of tooth decay. We all have bacteria in our mouths at all times, even after brushing. However, when we eat sugar, the bacteria in our mouths produce acid which dissolves or attacks our teeth for 20 minutes or more, and can eventually result in tooth decay. For healthy teeth and gums, we need to minimise the acid attack in our mouths, limiting it, if possible, to mealtimes only. Since saliva helps to protect our teeth. One of the worst tooth crimes you could commit would be to eat sweets just before bedtime as we produce less saliva during our sleep.
Better dental health
To minimise the risk of tooth decay, try following these tips:
1. Cut out sugary snacks and replace them with fruit, raw vegetables, plain yoghurt or cheese.
2. If you simply can't live without your favourite sugary foods and fizzy drinks, limit them to mealtimes to reduce the number of acid attacks on your teeth.
3. If you take sugar in tea or coffee, reduce the amount you drink, or use artificial sweeteners.
4. If you do eat a sweet, eat it quickly or all at once so that sugar is present in your mouth for the minimum amount of time.
5. Avoid sticky toffee as it can stick in the teeth and supply your oral bacteria with sugar for extended periods of time.
6. Avoid erosive (very acidic) foods such as colas and lemon as these can literally eat away at your teeth.
7. Finish a meal with cheese or milk to help neutralise the acid in your mouth.
8. After mealtimes, chew some sugar-free gum which encourages more (protective) saliva to be produced, and helps clear away food debris.
9. Drink lots of water to keep your mouth moist.
10. Beware of sugary snack cravings during pregnancy. Thinking that 'the baby took the calcium from my teeth' is not true and not the real reason behind the tooth decay suffered by many pregnant women.
Join the discussions on the Your Health message board:
Back to main page
Snacking on sugary food and drink between mealtimes has been established as a major cause of tooth decay. We all have bacteria in our mouths at all times, even after brushing. However, when we eat sugar, the bacteria in our mouths produce acid which dissolves or attacks our teeth for 20 minutes or more, and can eventually result in tooth decay. For healthy teeth and gums, we need to minimise the acid attack in our mouths, limiting it, if possible, to mealtimes only. Since saliva helps to protect our teeth. One of the worst tooth crimes you could commit would be to eat sweets just before bedtime as we produce less saliva during our sleep.
Better dental health
To minimise the risk of tooth decay, try following these tips:
1. Cut out sugary snacks and replace them with fruit, raw vegetables, plain yoghurt or cheese.
2. If you simply can't live without your favourite sugary foods and fizzy drinks, limit them to mealtimes to reduce the number of acid attacks on your teeth.
3. If you take sugar in tea or coffee, reduce the amount you drink, or use artificial sweeteners.
4. If you do eat a sweet, eat it quickly or all at once so that sugar is present in your mouth for the minimum amount of time.
5. Avoid sticky toffee as it can stick in the teeth and supply your oral bacteria with sugar for extended periods of time.
6. Avoid erosive (very acidic) foods such as colas and lemon as these can literally eat away at your teeth.
7. Finish a meal with cheese or milk to help neutralise the acid in your mouth.
8. After mealtimes, chew some sugar-free gum which encourages more (protective) saliva to be produced, and helps clear away food debris.
9. Drink lots of water to keep your mouth moist.
10. Beware of sugary snack cravings during pregnancy. Thinking that 'the baby took the calcium from my teeth' is not true and not the real reason behind the tooth decay suffered by many pregnant women.
Join the discussions on the Your Health message board:
Back to main page
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Created: 10/06/2004 Updated: 01/02/2007
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