How Snacking Can Affect Your Teeth

Snacking can help maintain energy levels but it’s worth being mindful as to how snacks can harm your dental health. This is because choosing the wrong type of food can increase the risk of acid erosion. Foods that are high in carbohydrates or sugars, or which are naturally acidic will erode your tooth enamel more quickly. When this happens, you may find your teeth become increasingly sensitive and in the worst case they may begin to look more translucent at the biting edges or will appear a darker colour. Normally your teeth have a protective layer of opaque tooth enamel but when it thins due to acid erosion, it exposes more of the naturally darker tooth colour contained in the dentin underneath enamel.

If you do need a snack, choose something that is tooth-friendly. Good examples include plain yoghurt, crunchy apples or raw vegetables, bananas and raw nuts. Cheese is a good option, especially as it contains plenty of calcium, which helps to protect and strengthen your tooth enamel.