Although a good diet for total health should provide all the elements needed for dental health, several precautions on sugars and starches should be added. Hard or sticky sweets should be avoided. Such highly refined sweets such as soft drinks, candies, cakes, cookies, pies, syrups, jam, jellies and pastries should be limited, especially in between meals.

There should also be a control on the intake of starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, and pastas. Fresh fruits can contain natural sugars that can provide sweet flavors with much lesser risk of adding to the decay of teeth if teeth are regularly brushed after eating certain foods.

Because decay is promoted each time sugar and other refined carbohydrates are eaten, between meals and snack of sweet meals should be curtailed to lessen the chances of new additional caries. Snack foods can be raw vegetables, such as carrots or celery, apples, cheese, peanuts, or other items that are not likely to introduce refined carbohydrates into the mouth between meals. Following these can help prevent gum disease.