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Food, drinks and sugar
Germs in plaque turn sugar into acid. The acid damages teeth. How often you have sugar matters a lot.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. It does not replace a check by a dentist or doctor. If you are worried, contact a dental professional.
Simple rules
- Keep sweet food and drinks to mealtimes.
- Avoid sipping sugary drinks or sucking sweets through the day.
- Best drinks for teeth: plain water and milk. Tea and coffee without sugar are fine for teeth (they can stain).
- Have juice or fizzy drinks with a meal, if at all.
Hidden and 'natural' sugars
- Honey, syrups, brown sugar and fruit juice still harm teeth.
- Words ending in '-ose' on a label (like glucose or sucrose) are sugars.
- Sauces, baked beans and ready meals can have added sugar.
How much is too much?
UK advice says adults should have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day – about 7 sugar cubes. Children should have less.
Tooth-friendly snacks
- Cheese, plain yoghurt, raw vegetable sticks, plain bread or rice cakes, nuts.
Wait about 1 hour after sweet or acidic food before brushing. Enamel is softer just after.
Related: Oral health basics
Sources
Paraphrased in plain words. Links checked and accessed 21 Oct 2026.
- Oral Health Foundation. “Diet and my teeth”. https://www.dentalhealth.org/diet-and-my-teeth (accessed 21 Oct 2026).
- NHS (UK). “Sugar: the facts”. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/ (accessed 21 Oct 2026).
- World Health Organization. “Oral health – fact sheet”. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health (accessed 21 Oct 2026).