Balancing your diet

A healthy, balanced diet is just as important to provide your mouth with the right nutrients, but limit the foods that can cause problems. Acidic and sugary foods damage your teeth through both tooth decay and erosion. Decay occurs through sugars breaking down into acids by bacteria in plaque – an indirect acid attack on your teeth. Erosion is direct damage caused by acidic foods, but some naturally acidic foods provide other benefits.

Understanding which foods are more or less acidic will help to help balance out meals and snacks for your family and encourage them into the right choices for life. Learn more below about balancing out your family’s meals and snacks:

If you have children, we recommend incorporating foods that are rich in calcium as it is an important staple whilst teeth are developing. It will help to strengthen not just your children’s teeth, but also their bones, including their jaw, where the roots of their teeth sit. In a healthy mouth with tooth brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, your teeth can withstand eating events of up to five times per day - including mealtimes.

For more hygiene guidance, why not view our new children’s hygiene hub – your home for children’s oral hygiene guidance and tips - or learn more about general oral health here.