Healthy food healthy teeth
Breastfeeding
Exclusively breastfeed your baby until they're ready for and need extra food – this will be at around six months of age.
When your baby is ready, introduce them to appropriate complementary foods and continue to breastfeed until they are at least one year of age.
Teeth-friendly food
Looking after teeth isn’t just about brushing.
The kinds of food we eat can affect acid levels in our mouths and cause decay.
The more often your child eats sweet food and drinks – like lollies, cakes and biscuits, fruit juice and fizzy drinks – the more likely they are to get holes in their teeth.
- If you give your child sweet foods and drinks, it is best to do so only occasionally (less than once a week) at meal times.
- Saliva is the body’s natural defence against tooth decay – it constantly replaces the minerals in teeth and washes away acids. To give saliva a chance to work, limit the number of times your child eats throughout the day. Eating three meals and two snacks each day is best. Give teeth a rest from sugar, and try to offer healthy snacks between meals.
Teeth friendly snacks
- Bread
- Cheese
- Raw vegetables
- Unsweetened & unsalted popcorn
- Nuts
- Yoghurt
A glass of something
Get your child to drink a glass of water after having a sweet drink.
Even though diet drinks don't contain sugar, if they're acidic, like a diet cola, they can cause erosion of your child’s teeth.
The best drinks for your child’s teeth are water and milk.
Most other drinks have sugar in them, although in some drinks, the sweetness is from natural sugar, like in pure fruit juice. Save sweet drinks for mealtimes (if at all), and use a straw. Encourage your child to choose water – it’s fresh and free!
If you have any questions or need help, just talk to us on 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583).
Page last updated: 01 December 2011
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