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Oral Health Services

Nutrition

Your entire body, including your mouth, needs proper nutrition for good growth and development. A balanced diet should include a variety of foods from the five food groups.  For daily serving recommendations, see the food pyramid.

  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Bread, cereal, pasta, and other grain products
  • Milk, cheese, and yogurt
  • Meat, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs, and nuts

Diet and Oral Health

Two of the most common oral diseases, caries (tooth decay) and periodontal (gum) disease, are associated with plaque. Plaque is a sticky, colorless film of bacteria that constantly forms on everyone's teeth and gums. Plaque is an irritant that makes gums red, tender, and bleed easily. Every time you eat, the bacteria in plaque produce acids that attack the outer surface of the tooth (enamel). Repeated acid attacks can dissolve tooth structures resulting in a cavity.

Foods that stay in the mouth longer (hard candies and mints) or stick to your teeth (caramels and jellybeans) lead to prolonged acid attacks on your teeth.

Sugar and starches eaten at mealtime are less harmful to your teeth than if they are eaten alone.

The more often that your snacks contain sugar and starches, the greater your chance for tooth decay and periodontal disease.