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Healthy food is good for your general health and your oral health. The nutrients that come from healthy food help you to fight cavities and gum disease.

Sugars in food.

Sugar is one of the main causes of oral health problems and is found in many foods. Foods high in sugar include soft drinks, chocolate bars, pastries and baked goods. Ingredients such as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose-glucose, honey, maple syrup, molasses and sucrose are all different types of sugars. Many healthy foods such as milk, dried fruit, bread, cereal and pasta also contain some sugars. The sugars found in healthy foods give our bodies the energy we need to live. The problem is that all of these sugars can cause cavities and other oral health problems.

How sugars cause cavities

Cavities begin with plaque. Plaque is an invisible film that occurs naturally in your mouth and sticks firmly to your teeth. It contains bacteria (germs) and forms on your teeth every day. These bacteria are quite normal and mostly harmless. They become a problem when the plaque is not cleaned from your teeth by brushing and flossing and are allowed to build up on and between your teeth. Here's how. When sugars in the foods that you eat mix with the bacteria in the plaque, this makes a mild acid. This acid forms in the plaque and it eats away at the hard outer layer of your tooth, called the enamel. Over time, the enamel gets soft and a cavity forms.

The damage that sugars do depends on how much and how often they are eaten, when they are eaten and how long they stay in your mouth. The longer and more often sugars touch your teeth, the more damage they can do.

The good news is that the saliva in your mouth can help to protect your teeth from this damaging acid. During a meal, your mouth produces a great deal of saliva. This saliva protects your teeth by neutralizing the acids produced by sugars. But between meals, your mouth does not produce as much saliva and the sugars stay on your teeth longer. So eating between meals without brushing can be damaging to your teeth.

Protecting your teeth from cavities

Brushing your teeth immediately after eating or drinking is the best way to protect your teeth, but this isn't always possible. Here are some tips to protect your teeth when you can't brush:

• Limit eating between meals, especially foods high in sugars.

• It is best to eat sweets at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in your mouth. Saliva helps to wash away sugars and acids.

• Try to cut down on the amount of sugar you eat. The average Canadian consumes about 40 kg of sugar per year.

• Choose drinks that are low in sugar and acid. One can of soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and is high in acid. Even a diet or sugar-free soft drink can be harmful to your teeth because of its high level acids. Water is the best drink to have between meals.

• Limit the number of times you eat during the day. The more often sugars touch your teeth, the more damage they can do.

• If you snack between meals, drink water. Water will help to wash away some of the sugars and acids.

• If you snack between meals, chew gum afterwards. Chewing gum helps to produce saliva, which helps to wash away sugars and acids.

• If you snack between meals, choose foods that have little or no sugars in them. These foods will not harm your teeth.

Acids in foods

The acid found in some foods and drinks can also be harmful to your teeth. This type of acid is different from the type that can cause cavities when the bacteria in your mouth mix with sugar from food. When we consume foods or drinks high in acid, the acids may play a part in causing dental erosion. Foods and drinks high in acid include carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks, citrus fruits and vinegary foods such as pickles.

Acids and dental erosion

Dental erosion is when the hard part of your tooth dissolves as a result of direct contact with acid. It is believed that some factors of dental erosion are internal. Dental erosion is seen in people who have gastric reflux (stomach acid problems) or who have eating disorders. In this case, acids from the stomach enter the mouth through vomiting. External factors of dental erosion happen when acids enter the mouth through eating or drinking foods high in acid. Diet alone may not always be the cause of dental erosion. Further research on the causes of dental erosion is ongoing.

Preventing dental erosion

Here are some tips to protect your teeth from dental erosion:

• Choose drinks that are low in acid. Carbonated soft drinks are high in acid, which can harm your teeth.

• Do not swish or hold high acid drinks in your mouth for prolonged periods of time or suck on citrus fruits.

• It is best to consume foods and drinks high in acid at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in your mouth. Saliva helps to wash away sugars and acids.

Foods that will not harm your teeth

Foods that have very little or no sugars in them and that are low in acid will not harm your teeth. Here are a list of foods that contain little or no sugars or acids:

• plain yogurt

• plain milk and buttermilk

• cheese and cottage cheese

• raw fruits and vegetables

• hard-boiled eggs

• nuts or seeds

Reference to an interesting article on l'Ordre des Dentistes du Quebec website.

Food and children's oral health

Although sugars are considered one of the main causes of oral health problems, any kind of food can be just as damaging as foods high in sugar if left in the mouth for a long period of time. Even many health foods such as juice, bread, cereal and pasta contain some sugars. Here are some examples of how oral health problems can happen in children:

• If you put your child to bed with a bottle or sippy cup of any drink other than water, the liquid stays in your child's mouth for a long time. Over time, the sugars in these drinks can cause teeth to weaken and may cause early childhood tooth decay. The same can also happen if you let your child fall asleep at the breast with milk still in her mouth. Talk to your dentist about early childhood tooth decay and how it can be prevented.

• If your child often drinks anything other than water between meals, the teeth are being coated in sugars over and over again. Over time, this may cause teeth to weaken and cause tooth decay. Water is the best drink to have between meals.

• If foods like teething biscuits, crackers or bread stay in your child's mouth for a long time, or if your child snacks on these foods often throughout the day, the sugars in these foods will make the acid that can cause cavities.

Smart snacking for kids

Snacking between meals can cause oral health problems. However, growing children need healthy snacks to keep them going between meals. Here are some snack tips to help keep your child's teeth healthy:

• Limit the number of times a day your child eats or drinks sugars.

• Avoid sugary treats that stay in the mouth for a long time like hard candy or lollipops.

• Stay away from soft, sticky sweets that get stuck in your child's teeth.

• Sweets are best served at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in your child's mouth to wash away the sugars.

• Drinks like juice and milk are best served during or at the end of mealtime. Water is the best drink to have between meals.

• Serve snacks that will not harm your child's teeth, like vegetables, cheese, nuts or seeds.

• When possible, have your child brush her teeth immediately after eating. Always have your child brush her teeth before going to bed.