Nutrition Health and Wellbeing

Your teeth and mouth are an extremely important part of your body. Dental care and treatment should be part of an overall personal health and well being programme.

Good nutrition plays a large role in your dental health. Brushing and flossing help to keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong however a balanced diet will help to boost your body’s immune system, leaving you less vulnerable to oral disease.

How often and what you eat have been found to affect your dental health. Eating starchy foods such as bread, biscuits and sweets causes the bacteria in your mouth feed on it, they then produce acids, which attack your teeth for up to 20 minutes or more. Also foods that stick to your teeth or are slow to dissolve give the acids more time to work on destroying your tooth enamel.

Sticky and starchy foods create less acid when eaten as part of a meal. Saliva production increases at mealtime, rinsing away food particles and neutralizing harmful acids.

Carbonated and acidic drinks will dissolve your teeth and cause dental erosion if consumed routinely or excessively. This is a major adolescent problem.