Ever since childhood the majority of us were told: don’t eat too many sweets, you’ll rot your teeth. But our parents never told us what foods we could eat that would actively help maintain healthy teeth and gums. In fact, there are different types of food that can be eaten to combat a variety of dental problems.

Tooth decay

Foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as sweets and crisps, contain sugars and starches that can cling to the teeth, potentially causing cavities to form. As such, excessive consumption of these foodstuffs can be damaging to the teeth. Instead, fresh fruit and vegetables should be eaten, as their natural sugars are less likely to cling to the teeth. It is also important to drink tap water, rather than bottled water, because tap water retains fluoride. Fluoride is pivotal in the prevention of tooth decay.

Halitosis

Food is a primary culprit of causing bad breath: coffee, spicy food and low-carbohydrate foods such as meat are particularly lethal in inducing halitosis. Like tooth decay, however, bad breath can be tackled by eating fewer of these foodstuffs, and more fresh fruit and vegetables.

Why are fruits and vegetables good for oral hygiene?

Fibrous foods such as these allow for the body to increase its saliva production. Saliva works to neutralise acids in the mouth, thereby combating acid erosion that can lead to tooth decay. Saliva is also useful in washing away food debris that may be stuck to the teeth. This is aided further by fruits that have a high water content, such as pears and watermelons.

A final tip—perhaps one of our most unusual—is to finish your meal with yellow cheese. This, like saliva, helps to neutralise acids in the mouth that may have accumulated during the meal, thereby helping to prevent tooth decay.