Nutrition

You can probably hear the echoes of your dental care providers reminding you to limit the amount of sugary foods you consume! Good nutrition plays an important role in maintaining strong teeth. A balanced diet will also help to boost your body’s immune system, leaving you less vulnerable to oral disease.

Sugar combines with plaque to form acid, which attacks your teeth for about 20 minutes after each exposure. When sugary foods linger on your teeth or there are repeated exposures, the acid attack to the enamel of your teeth can go on for hours. If you do not brush and floss after these exposures, it increases the rate of your tooth decay.

Many snacks come in sugarless forms which are preferred to the sugar-containing recipes. Sticky and starchy foods create less acid when eaten as part of a meal. Also, saliva production increases at mealtime, rinsing away food particles and neutralizing harmful acids. Certain foods such as nuts, cheese, onions and some teas have been shown to slow growth of decay-causing bacteria in the mouth.