Dietary Advice from Appletree Dental Surgery

You may wonder why on earth your dentist would be offering you diet advice, however it is not what you are eating that may be affecting your oral health but simply how often you are eating that could be causing tooth decay.

Every time you eat or drink anything other than water it creates an acidic environment in your mouth which weakens your teeth as the goodness that makes them strong is drawn out into the saliva. It then takes approximately one hour for the your saliva to buffer the environment and re-strengthen your teeth. If you then eat or drink something again within that hour it further weakens your teeth and so on thus creating a hole (decay) in your tooth.

How do I prevent this from happening?

• Eat three main meals a day
• Do not snack regularly (less than an hour apart)
• Only drink water in between meals
• Drink fizzy drinks and eat sugar containing foods all at once and with your meal
• Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
• Eat a piece of cheese after eating

So go ahead have that biscuit or chocolate bar  – but at a mealtime!!