HolidaySweets to Avoid for Healthy Teeth

The holidayseason is filled with a wide range of sweet treats, from homemade cookies tocandy canes. While these sweets might be tempting, it’s best to avoid them inorder to keepyour teeth healthy.Find out more about how these treats can affect your teeth and what to eatinstead. 

BakedGoods

Cookies,cakes and other baked goods contain a lot of sugar, which can increase yourrisk of tooth decay. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar, which turns it intoan acid that can wear away your tooth enamel. Since enamel protects your teethfrom decay, you end up with a higher risk of cavities. You don’t have to avoidthese baked goods completely, but you should choose ones that contain low or nosugar. 

CandyCanes

Candy canesare a common sight during the holidays. Whether you usually have candy canes hangingon your tree or in a candy dish, you should avoid eating them this season.Candy canes contain a high amount of sugar that stays in your mouth for longperiods of time. You can also hurt your teeth if you bite into these sweets.Look for sugar-free candy canes if you do want to enjoy these treats, or havesugarless peppermint gum instead. 

HardCandy

Hard candiesare another common type of holiday treat. These candies have the same problemsas candy canes. They have a lot of sugar that stays on your teeth as the candydissolves, and you can chip your teeth biting down on them. Instead of keepingbowls of hard candy around this holiday season, have bowls of nutsaround. 

ChewyCandy

Caramel andother chewy types of holiday sweets are very harmful to your teeth. Thesecandies stick to the surface of your teeth, which makes it easy for bacteria toaccumulate. If you do have any chewy treats this holiday season, make sure youbrush and floss after eating them in order to remove sugar from your teeth. A betteroption is to eat fresh fruits instead of chewy or sticky candy. 

Routinecleanings are an important part of keeping your teeth healthy. If you’re duefor one or if you have any tooth or gum problems, please contact Great Lake Dental to schedule anappointment.