Our nutrition can play an important role in maintaining good oral health. A proper diet must be balanced and to include all the main food groups as: fruits and vegetables, milk products, meat, fish etc. Healthy eating habits lead to healthy teeth. Like the rest of the body, the teeth, bones and the soft tissues of the mouth need a well-balanced diet. Children should eat a variety of foods from the five major food groups. Most snacks that children eat can lead to cavity formation. The more frequently a child snacks, the greater the chance for tooth decay is. How long food remains in the mouth also plays a role. For example, hard candy and breath mints stay in the mouth a long time, which cause longer acid attacks on tooth enamel. If your child must snack, choose nutritious foods such as vegetables, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese which are healthier and better for children’s teeth.

1. Avoid foods with high concentration of sugar (cakes, ice cream, honey...)
2. Prefer foods rich to nutritious ingredients but without sugar (milk, yoghurt, rice, meat, fish, fruits....)
3. Don't consider sweet only the foods with sweet taste. Check the concentration of sugar
4. Don't forget that many refreshments have a high concentration of sugar
5. You may consume sweets only at the main meals. Don't eat sweets between meals. (During meals the saliva production is increased       neutralizing most of the acids. That's why a sweet during meal is less hazardous than one taken between the meals)
6. It is better to finish your meal with yellow cheese that helps neutralizing the acids in our mouth, especially after the consumption of sweet foods
7. The foods structure is also important

• wet foods act for only a limited amount of time
• tough foods are the safest because they increase the saliva production and help to the self-cleaning of teeth
• soft and sticky foods are dangerous because they attach and get between the teeth providing a better environment for the bacteria.
  

Fish
Meat
Fresh milk
Fresh fruit juices Yoghurt
Vegetables

Sugar substitutes
Nuts Cheese
Fruits
Sugar free gums
Wheat bread

Sugar
Honey