Although eating your favorite junk foods and sugary desserts may taste great, they are greatly affecting your oral health, and not in a good way. It’s important that you limit your sugary food consumption to avoid an excessive buildup of plaque, which can lead to severe tooth decay.

In fact, nearly 92 percent of adults have cavities in their permanent teeth, according to a study done by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Without proper care, these cavities can cost hundreds in tooth repair. Not to mention, cavities can cause extreme rot in your root canals, which can cost upwards of $1,000 in dental care. To help you help control the number of cavities you get, here are five things that can help prevent them altogether.

Apples

An apple a day really does keep the doctor away, or the dentist at least. This fruit can actually prevent cavities from forming and help you to keep your dental health on track. Apples have all sorts of positive benefits on your body, including fighting tooth decay.

When you eat an apple, you are also stimulating saliva production. The extra saliva that is now in your mouthwashes away bad bacteria that would otherwise cause cavities. So skip the junk food and choose an apple instead.

Keep in mind, however, that some fruits contain high levels of sugar and may be sweet and acidic. Like all good things, make sure you enjoy apples in moderation. Just make sure you are not eating apples with your power chain braces.

Cheese

Dairy products, such as cheese and milk, are well known to improve your oral health and prevent cavities. In fact, according to a study published in the General Dentistry journal, researchers found that dairy products have anti-cavity properties with high pH to deplete the mouth of plaque, which is overall beneficial to your oral health.

The researchers also noted that the increased pH levels increased saliva and calcium, which helped re-harden the enamel of the teeth.

Green Tea and Black Tea

According to Kenyon College, consuming green or black tea after eating something sugary can help prevent plaque buildup and kill off bacteria in the mouth.

Additionally, green and black tea leaves have shown to help prevent tooth decay because of its anti-cavity properties.

However, make sure that you consume the tea without cream, milk, or sweeteners.

Milk

Like we mentioned earlier, milk can help increase the pH of your mouth that reduces when you consume sugary products.

According to a study in the Journal of the American Dental Association, researchers found that adults had much less plaque on their teeth after consuming milk with cereal than apple juice or tap water. In fact, the milk also helped strengthen the adult’s teeth as well.