Foods such as bread, cereal, cakes, and candy are high in carbohydrates (sugars and starches), and when they settle on your teeth, bacteria in your mouth digest the food, turning it into acid. Acid, bacteria, and food residue left on the teeth form plaque, which can damage the enamel and cause cavities (also known as cavities). Fortunately, there are many ways you can prevent cavities and avoid the dreaded experience of visiting the dentist.

1. Maintain good oral hygiene

Brush your teeth after every meal. Brushing your teeth is a minimum requirement for maintaining dental health, but it is also very important. You must brush your teeth after every meal, or at least twice a day.

  • When you brush your teeth, focus on cleaning the outer, inner and chewing surfaces of your teeth. For fresher breath, you can gently brush your tongue to remove bacteria from it.
  • Brush your teeth with a toothpaste that contains fluoride. Plaque eats away at the minerals in the enamel, but fluoride can help make teeth stronger and more resistant to the corrosive effects of plaque.
 Floss your teeth. Some may think floss is redundant, but it actually gets into those hard-to-reach places with a toothbrush, removing bacteria that hide under the gum line and between the teeth. Roll most of the floss around your middle finger, leaving only 2.5 to 5 cm of floss, then hold it tightly with your thumb and index finger, and let it slide gently up and down between the teeth. With gentle movements, bend the floss down and under the gum line.

 Use mouthwash. In addition to brushing and flossing, you'll swish a fluoride-containing mouthwash for 10 to 15 seconds, swirling it around your teeth, tongue, and gums. Gargling is quick, easy, and almost effortless to kill germs and leave your mouth (and breath) fresh and clean.

2.  Protecting Teeth Through Diet

Eat less sweets. Except on special occasions, try to avoid carbohydrate foods such as candy, pretzels, sweet rolls, cookies and chips. It is also important to brush your teeth after ingesting these and sticky foods, as these foods increase oral bacteria and acid, which can lead to tooth decay.

Follow a healthy, balanced diet. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in saturated fat, salt, and sugar is rich in nutrients and can improve oral health. The old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" should become "an apple a day keeps the dentist and cavities away".

  • Calcium is very important to keep teeth healthy. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, fortified soy products, almonds and dark green leafy vegetables.
  • Vitamin D is also helpful. Sunshine, liquid milk, fortified soy products and fatty fish like salmon are all good sources of vitamin D.
  • You should also get moderate amounts of phosphorus (found in meat, fish, and eggs), magnesium (whole grains, spinach, and bananas), and vitamin A (orange fruits, vegetables, and dark leafy greens).

Eat less snacks. Every time you eat, especially sticky or sugary foods, the acid attacks your teeth and breaks down the enamel. Skipping snacks reduces the number of times your teeth are attacked, giving them time to repair themselves.

Limit your intake of juices and sodas. We always remember that cakes, cookies and other sweets are bad for us and our oral hygiene, but forget that the same is true for drinks. Sweetened juices and sodas are also bad for us, causing bacteria to build up on our teeth with every sip.

  • The best drink is of course water. Black and green teas are also good. Unsweetened fruit juice is better (fruit has a little sugar in it), but water and tea are the best options.

Use a straw. If you really want to drink soda, you can drink it through a straw to minimize the damage of soda to your teeth. This keeps most of the teeth out of the sugar (especially if the straw doesn't touch the teeth in the first place). Soda may still damage teeth, but straws can slow the process down.