You diet and dental health

Your teeth and gums need good nutrition too. A balanced diet can really help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

The key to ensuring healthy teeth is to think before you eat. Not only what you eat but when you eat makes a big difference to your dental health. Eat a balanced diet (from the five major food groups) each day and limit between meal snacks. The more often you eat, and the longer foods are in your mouth, the more opportunity plaque (a sticky film of bacteria) has to build-up in your mouth and damage your tooth enamel (the hard surface of the tooth).

So limit snacks and make them healthy (fruit, raw vegetables, cheese, or plain yoghurt).

Remember that foods eaten as part of a meal cause less harm - more saliva is released during a meal and this helps wash foods from the mouth and lessen the effects of acids (which are produced by oral bacteria).

Replace sugary drinks (soft drinks, juices etc) with water. Not only does this not contain sugar but it will help to rinse away food debris.

Visit your dentist every 6 months to prevent problems from occurring and catching those that do occur while they are still easy to treat.