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Oral health advice for parents and carers - Healthy eating

Every time you eat or drink something containing sugar, plaque bacteria on your teeth make acid which attacks the tooth surface. After a while, a hole or cavity forms. This is called tooth decay. To stop tooth decay:

  • As soon as you start weaning your child, do not encourage a sweet tooth
  • Don’t add sugar to foods and drinks
  • Never dip a dummy in anything sweet
  • Never put sugary drinks in feeding bottles or infant cups
  • Cut down on both the amount of sugar you eat and how often you eat it
  • Don’t have any sugary snacks between meals – this will give teeth time to recover from the acid attack
  • Stick to just plain water and milk as drinks for young children

Some snacks can contain more sugar than you realise. For more information on healthy eating for children go to Every Child.

Nutrition Skills for Life offers information, resources, and support to help you make healthy eating choices.

Stop! Food and drinks bad for teeth

Watch out for sugar in cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, jam, preserves, fizzy drinks, squash and milk shakes.

Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners which do not cause decay but are acidic which dissolve the surface, causing dental erosion.

Go! Foods and drinks good for teeth

Plain water and milk are the only safe drinks for young children. 

Try healthier snacks like: 

  • Vegetable sticks
  • Cheese and crackers
  • Fresh fruit
  • Pitta bread and hummous
  • Bread
  • Toast

Whole fruits and vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet.  They do contain natural sugars but are in a safer form within the fruit cell.

Milk is a very important part of a healthy diet.  It contains natural sugar but a safer type. 

Be aware! Foods and drinks to be wary of

Fruit Juices contain natural sugar (fructose) which can cause tooth decay.  Fruit juices are important in providing vitamin C and reaching our 5-a-day, but should be only offered at mealtimes.

Dried fruit can cause tooth decay. The natural sugar has been released from the fruit cell as part of the drying process, so eat at mealtimes only.

Always ask for sugar free medicines.

Page last reviewed: 24th September 2025