Diet and Teeth

What you eat and drink is very important for your teeth. High levels of acid and sugar inbetween meal times can cause acid erosion and tooth decay. Below is a chart of the pH levels in some foods and drinks:

The critical pH for enamel is 5.5, food and drink with pH levels below this will cause the enamel to dissolve, for example at pH 2.6 if you were drinking cola. If we constantly expose our teeth to acidic foods and drinks then decay can occur.

Top tip: fruit is best eaten at mealtimes, when you will be eating sugar anyway. This will avoid over exposure to acid on your teeth!

Never brush immediately after eating or drinking acidic foods such as oranges or drinks such as orange juice as it temporarily softens the enamel on our tooth surface. We don’t want to brush away the enamel whilst it is in this temporary state.

Water is the perfect drink to have throughout the day to keep a healthy smile!