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Sweets and teeth
Sweets have long been linked with tooth decay, and for good reason. But the details matter: when you eat sweets, which ones, and what you do afterwards all make a difference. Here is what the evidence and the NHS say.
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The link between sweets and tooth decay is real, but it is not simply a matter of how many sweets you eat. When you eat them, and how you look after your teeth, matter too.
How sugar causes decay
The NHS explains that tooth decay happens when bacteria create a sticky layer called plaque over your teeth, which damages the surface of the teeth over time. The bacteria feed on sugar and make acid, and teeth can be under attack from that acid for up to an hour after eating sugar. The NHS says tooth decay is often caused by having too much sugary food and drink and not cleaning your teeth and gums regularly.
How often matters
Because each sugary snack starts a new acid attack, decay depends heavily on how often your teeth meet sugar. That is why dental advice is to keep sweets and sugary drinks to mealtimes, rather than grazing through the day.
Sticky sweets add to the problem, because the longer sugar stays on the teeth, the longer the bacteria can feed on it: see why do sweets stick to your teeth?
The Swedish experiment
Some of the evidence comes from the Vipeholm experiments in Sweden, which produced enough data to link sugar to tooth decay. At Vipeholm Hospital in Lund, a hospital for people with intellectual disabilities, patients were given large amounts of sweets between 1947 and 1949, including extra sticky toffee made specially so that it would cling to the teeth, to see whether sugar caused decay. The study led to the advice that it was better for children's teeth to eat sweets once a week than a smaller amount spread over the week, the origin of Sweden's Saturday sweets. Today the experiments are considered to have broken several principles of medical ethics: see what is Swedish pick and mix?
Looking after your teeth
The NHS advises:
- brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, and spit after brushing rather than rinsing
- clean between your teeth every day with floss or interdental brushes
- do not have too much sugary food or drink
- have regular dental check ups, as often as your dentist advises
What about sugar free sweets?
Sugar free sweets are often made with sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, maltitol and xylitol. Sugar alcohols are not fed on by the bacteria in the mouth, so they do not contribute to tooth decay. Claims that xylitol actively prevents decay are less certain: a 2015 Cochrane review found some benefit from xylitol toothpaste but not enough evidence to judge other xylitol products. And sugar alcohols have a drawback: see why do sugar free sweets carry a laxative warning?
For children and braces, see can you eat sweets with braces?
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
Are sweets bad for your teeth?
Sugary sweets can be. The bacteria in plaque use sugar to make acid, which damages the surface of teeth over time. The NHS says tooth decay is often caused by too much sugary food and drink and not cleaning teeth regularly.
When is the best time to eat sweets for your teeth?
With meals. Decay is strongly linked to how often teeth are exposed to sugar, so NHS dental advice is to keep sweet snacks to mealtimes rather than grazing through the day.
Are sugar free sweets better for teeth?
Sugar alcohols, sweeteners often used in sugar free sweets, are not fed on by the bacteria in the mouth and do not contribute to tooth decay. But eating a lot of them can have a laxative effect.
Sources
- Tooth decay, NHS
- Keeping your child's teeth healthy, 10 to 16 year olds, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Vipeholm experiments, Wikipedia
- Sugar alcohol, Wikipedia
- Xylitol, Wikipedia
- Tooth decay, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Questions people askWhy do sweets stick to your teeth?Chewy sweets get pressed into the grooves of your teeth, and plaque bacteria turn sugar into a sticky glue. The longer sugar stays, the longer acid attacks.
- Questions people askCan you eat sweets with braces?Carefully. The British Orthodontic Society says sticky sweets like toffee, caramel and lollies must be avoided, and other sweets kept to mealtimes.
- Questions people askHow much sugar is in sweets?A lot. Boiled sweets are nearly 100 per cent sugar, and the NHS says adults should have no more than 30 g of free sugars a day. How to read the label.
- Questions people askWhat are sugar free sweets made with?Sugar free sweets use sugar alcohols such as maltitol, sorbitol, isomalt and xylitol, often with intense sweeteners. What they are and what the label says.
- Questions people askWhat is Swedish pick and mix?Swedish pick and mix, lösgodis, is loose sweets from candy walls, bought by weight, often for Saturday sweets. Sour gums and salty liquorice star.
- Diet, allergens and labelsThe 14 allergens explained for sweetsUK law names 14 allergens that must be declared. In sweets you may meet milk, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soya, gluten, sesame and sulphites. How labelling works.