What snacks can I eat that won’t cause tooth decay?

Research has shown that cheese, particularly Cheddar, Swiss and Mozzarella, when you eat them, produce saliva which protects your teeth from the acids that cause decay. This means that when you eat cheese between meals, as a snack, you’re actually interrupting any cavity making activities that might be going on in your mouth.

Other teeth healthy snacks included plain popcorn, natural yoghurt, hard boiled eggs, raw or cooked vegetables, hummus and legumes, peanut and other nut butters, nuts roasted or raw and fresh fruit.

Easier smile friendly snacks to manage in your lunchbox or for afternoon snacking are oat cakes, pretzels, plain bagels, tortilla chips (the baked ones) and plain crackers. Combined with a healthy homemade dip and you’re well on your way to preserving the enamel of your teeth.

The worst thing you can do for snacking is suck lollies repeatedly in between meals. The sugar from the candy is basically bathing your teeth in sugar, which plaque bacteria feeds on and converts into the acid that causes tooth decay. Even when you eat that sweet sticky quickly, the sugary solution in your mouth still lingers for another 20 minutes before it is completely neutralised by your saliva.

Instead, when it comes to sweet treats, the best thing you can do for your teeth, is to have them as part of a meal as a dessert and make sure to rinse your mouth thoroughly afterwards or brush your teeth.