Foods to avoid:

While citrus fruits have awesome nutritional benefits like being rich in vitamins, they can actually be quite harmful for your teeth. The acidity in products like grapefruit juice can slowly erode the enamel of your teeth. Look for orange juices fortified with calcium, which can help your teeth counteract the harmful acidity.

The jury is still out on how good people are for your teeth

Candy can also be extremely damaging for your teeth. Hard candy in particular can be quite dangerous, because it is typically slowly dissolved in the mouth over a long period of time, which can erode your teeth like citric acid does. You can also risk chipping a tooth if you bite down on them. Chewy candy is also harmful because it really sticks to your teeth, which can allow bacteria to fester.

You should also avoid soda at all costs. The sugar and the acids in sodas are a recipe for cavities. Even if you drink diet soda that doesn’t have sugar in it, it will still contain acids that can create cavities or wear down enamel. If you want to drink soda, it’s better for your teeth to have a single glass during a meal so that the food can minimize the effects of the sugar and acids, than to sip on it throughout the day. Sports drinks can also be harmful for teeth, because they tend to have high acidity levels that are comperable to soda. While they may be healthier for your body than soda is, they can be just as damaging for your teeth.

It’s also important to drink wine only in moderation if you are concerned about staining your teeth. Red wine especially can create deep stains that are tough to treat and stick for long periods of time.

Good foods for your teeth:

One of the best things you can do for your teeth is to drink a lot of water. Not only does it have plenty of benefits for your body, but it helps wash away all of the harmful sugars and enamel eroding acids that are in your food. Many bottled waters and most tap water also contain traces of fluoride, which can help stop teeth from eroding.

Strawberries are also unexpectedly helpful for your teeth. If you’ve been eating a lot of foods that can stain your teeth (or drinking a lot of wine!), strawberries contain a natural whitening agent called malic acid, which can really counteract those stains. You can also benefit from eating a lot of chewy, leafy greens, because the process of chewing them is a natural way of scrubbing your teeth. The long process of chewing, say, a piece of spinach will generate enough saliva to wash away any harmful sugars that could cause enamel erosion or cavities.

Finally, eating dairy is awesome for your teeth because it is a great source of calcium. Calcium is very important for developing strong teeth and bones, and dairy is the most reliable food source of calcium.