Sugary, starchy foods can harm teeth, but other foods can help protect them. Minimizing snacking helps to guard your teeth against decay. Sugary, starchy, sticky foods can harm teeth, but other foods can help protect them. The Oklahoma Dental Association recommends that if you must snack, you should eat snacks of raw vegetables, nuts, popcorn and plain yogurt. The ODA also recommends brushing after snacking.
Cheese is one of the best sources for calcium, a nutrient essential for healthy teeth and bones.
One theory credits cheese's protein and phosphate content with the decay-blocking ability. They stick to teeth. This clinginess is as important a factor in causing tooth decay as is a food's sugar content. Other dentally harmful snacks include toffee, honey and dried fruits. A study of 22 commonly consumed snack foods found that those with a high fluoride, fat or protein content tend to cause fewer cavities.