What you eat can have a big impact on your teeth, especially when it comes to snacks. The great thing is that tooth friendly snacks aren’t expensive or difficult to prepare. Making tooth friendly choices is best for you oral health, so we have put together some information and simple solutions for you to help you choose the best snacks.
Why snacks matter
Snacking effects your teeth. Every time you eat food makes contact with the surface of your teeth, and depending on the composition of the food this can either help protect them or do them damage.
The two major enemies to your teeth when it comes to food are SUGARS and ACIDS. These are the guys that will break down enamel and cause you problems. Not all sugars and acids are made equal though so you need to know which ones to avoid more often.
There are good guys in food too – in the forms of calcium, phosphorus, and natural anti-bacterials found in some foods. These can help give your teeth a boost when they need it.
easy tooth friendly snacks
It might not surprise you but the following list is pretty much totally made up of natural or handmade foods. We have put together some combinations of snacks that work really well together and can help you deal with snack cravings whilst also protecting your pearly whites. Not only that, all of these ideas are really quick and easy snack ideas.
apple and cheese
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These two make a great combination to combat the need for sweet, whilst also giving your teeth a healthy boost.
Apples are crunchy (which teeth love) and are not sticky (so the sugars don’t stick to your teeth for long periods).
The cheese helps give your teeth a calcium boost as well as reducing the pH level in your mouth.
vegetable sticks and hummus
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Vegetable sticks are amazing for a few reasons. Firstly, hard vegetables like carrot and celery make wonderful little tooth brushes. Biting into a fresh carrot or celery stick can help to remove debris from the surface of your teeth.
Hummus is a great dip for these vegetable sticks. The chickpeas contained in hummus also contain calcium.
You may also want to add crackers to this mix, depending on your tastes.
natural yoghurt and fruit
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If you’re really craving something sweet, vegetable sticks and hummus won’t cut the mustard.
Most flavoured yoghurt in stores is packed full of additional sugars that your body doesn’t need. You can achieve the same flavour hit using natural yoghurt and pairing it with your favourite berries.
The berries are full of antioxidants and the yoghurt can give you a hit of calcium to strengthen your teeth.
homemade zucchini slice
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If you’re tentative about baking your own food, don’t be turned off by the humble zucchini slice. They’re really easy to make and are packed full of great ingredients. Once again, this suggestion contains daily (in the form of cheese) as well as other great ingredients.
These can be frozen in pieces and chucked in a lunchbox for an easy and tasty snack. We often add some extra vegies in ours (carrot, spinach, cabbage), but the basic recipe makes for a great healthy snack. You can find the simple recipe here.
celery and peanut butter
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This may not appeal to everyone, but the celery and peanut butter combination is a great snack to help you look after you teeth. The best part is that this snack idea can have a number of different variations.
You can use peanut butter, vegemite or cream cheese on your celery. If you really can’t handle the celery, have peanut butter, vegemite, butter or cream cheese on crackers instead. Any of these are much better options for your teeth than chomping on a lolly or chocolate bar.
watermelon slices
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Watermelon is low in both sugar and acid, making it a great fruit to snack on for the sake of your teeth.
It’s especially a great snack for summer. Watermelon pieces can be frozen for up to 6 months and eaten when frozen, making them a great icy-pole alternative.
hard boiled eggs
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Hard boiled eggs are a great source of calcium, vitamin D and all of the B vitamins. They’re also a great source of lean protein.
They’re a quick and easy snack to prepare, and can be paired with cheese, nuts, apples or crackers, to give you some variation.
plain nuts
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Nuts are so easy to prepare and can help you satisfy that hunger for snacks. Different nuts offer different benefits but your average nut contains vitamin D and calcium, which are great for your teeth.
Not only that, but munching on nuts stimulates saliva production which also helps to protect and clean your teeth. Nuts also contain other nutrients like folic acid, magnesium, iron, and potassium. These contribute to the health of your teeth and gums.
tooth friendly drinks
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These may seem obvious, but the most tooth friendly drinks are milk, water and fruit smoothies. You want to choose drinks that are going to give your teeth a boost which is why calcium rich drinks are best.
Smoothies are easy to make and can contain whatever fruits you love. A great fruit to start with is banana, and then adding more fruit and vegetables from there. You can also add natural yogurt to give it a creamy flavour.
100% fruit juices can also be consumed but not in large quantities and not all the time. Although they contain natural sugars they’re also highly concentrated.
Snacks to avoid
At the top of the list… GUMMY LOLLIES. What makes these particularly nasty for teeth is not only the sugars they’re made of but also the fact that they get stuck to your teeth for prolonged periods. In addition to gummy lollies we have other types of lollies – lollipops and boiled sweets.
Another food to be wary of sugar coated cereals. These can also get stuck in the grooves of your teeth and break away enamel if left there for long periods.
You should also limit the number of sugary biscuits you snack on. Try one of the alternatives above to make sure you keep your teeth as healthy as you can.
Soft drinks are bad for your teeth for a couple of reasons. Obviously sugar is an issue, but drinking sugar free soft drink is not any better on your teeth. Sugar free soft drinks are also acidic, which is just as harmful to teeth as sugar.
reduce the impact of harmful snacks
From time to time you will consume snacks that aren’t great for your teeth. So here are some things you can do to lessen their impact on your teeth.
- Have a glass of milk or piece of cheese after eating something high in sugar. These help to reduce the pH level in your mouth.
- Rinse your mouth with a glass of water. Particularly if you’ve been eating lollies, this can help rinse some of the sugar stuck to your teeth.
- Brush your teeth. If you know your teeth are not feeling the way they should and you have some stubborn debris stuck on or between your teeth, give them a brush with fluoride toothpaste.