Are you a candy connoisseur? We all know most candy isn’t good for those pearly white teeth, but there are solutions that Dr. Nima Mir recommends to get your candy fix, and that won’t harm your beautiful smile!
Friendly-Teeth Candy
All of us know candies have a high amount of sugar that harms teeth badly. However, we cannot say individuals forget eating it, especially during the fall and winter holidays. The good news is some candies cause minor damage to dental health.
Below, you will know about them.
Chocolates
Chocolate is one of the best Candies for Your Teeth because it easily washes away and does not stick to the teeth. As a result, it does not cause cavities or other types of tooth decay.
Dark chocolate has a low amount of sugar and a relatively high amount of antioxidants that help heart health and lower blood pressure. Some studies show that dark chocolates contain compounds that can harden tooth enamel and have an anti-plaque effect. Therefore, always try to choose dark chocolate at parties, or when you want to buy chocolate to make a dessert, select dark ones. However, we strongly recommend consuming dark chocolates in moderation.
Sugar-Free Candy
The biggest enemy of oral health is sugar because it simply causes bacterial growth in the mouth, so our second piece of advice is to intake sugar-free candies.
On the other hand, sugar-free candies stimulate saliva production that causes the washing of all harmful bacteria and plaque off of your mouth, which protects your teeth from decay. However, using a high amount of them is not advisable because they contain chemical sugar compounds that have an adverse effect on your dental health, so be cautious when you want to consume a large amount of them.
Candies with Nuts
Unfortunately, candies stick around teeth and make cavities. Nuts in sweets lessen their stickiness, thus cause to reduce the chance of developing cavities.
The crunching features of nuts in the mouth help break up some of the plaque. Furthermore, nuts contain a relatively high amount of protein, fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that are beneficial to overall oral health. Therefore, it is good advice to add some nuts when you’re eating sweets. It helps you stick sugar away from your teeth.
Sugar-free Gum
Believe it or not, chewing sugar-free gum can prevent cavities! Here, we talk about some benefits of sugarless gums.
Top Five Advantages of Sugar-Free Gum:
Alleviate dry mouth: Dry mouth occurs when the amount of saliva production decreases. Certain conditions, such as Lupus or Parkinson’s disease, as well as specific medications like pain medications, muscle relaxers, Decongestants, Antihistamines, and Antidepressants, can cause dry mouth. Chewing sugar-free gum is the best way for increasing the production of saliva.
Stop cavities:Â If you want to prevent cavities and tooth decay, chew sugar-free gum for about 20 minutes after each meal. It increases saliva production, which washes all food particles off of your mouth.
Strengthen Enamel:Â The acid in your mouth, in addition to causing cavities, also results in enamel erosion. Chewing sugarless gum is a wise solution to protect your enamel since it reduces the amount of acid in your mouth.
Reduce tooth sensitivity: Sensitivity is one of the side effects of whitening teeth. Based on studies, you can significantly decrease tooth sensitivity by chewing sugarless gum.
Freshen your breath: Xylitol is the natural sweetener found in almost every sugar-free gum that makes your breath fresh. Moreover, sugar-free gum, by removing bacteria from your mouth, causes a pleasant odor in your mouth.
The worst candies for your teeth
Sugar in candies causes tooth decay because it feeds the bacteria in the mouth. Certain candies are worse than others because they stick to your teeth and encourage the growth of more bacteria. Avoid these candies when you have to choose between them to preserve good dental health.
Sticky candies
Sticky candies are the worst candies for your teeth because they stick in the crevices in your teeth and consequently cause cavities.
Removing them is difficult, meaning they will remain on the teeth longer and feed bacteria that cause tooth decay. Furthermore, they contain a high amount of sugar.
We recommend consuming some fresh fruit instead. They do not stick in your teeth and have natural and, of course, less sugar, besides having a great sweet taste.
Hard Candies
Eating hard candies means keeping them in the mouth longer while sucking them. When you suck on hard candy, your saliva fills with sugar and constantly coats your teeth in it, exposing you to more sugar than when you are quickly eating a piece of candy. The longer this period is, the more likely tooth decay is.
Furthermore, biting down on hard candies may cause your teeth to break or chip.
Sour candies
Sour candies are harmful due to their sugar coating and high acidity. We have already talked about how bad sugar is for your teeth since it stimulates the growth of bacteria that causes cavities. Your teeth might also suffer significant harm from high acidity. Acids erode dental enamel, making teeth more vulnerable to decay and fracture.
It is better not to eat sour candies at all, but if you cannot help yourself and consume sour candies, make sure to brush your teeth 30 minutes after eating them. Please take this point into consideration that during this time, your saliva production can dissolve the acid in your mouth completely. Tooth-brushing immediately after consuming sour candies has no effect other than to push the acid deeper into your teeth and cause further damage.
Some York Orthodontic Advices for Dental Care
After learning how damaging candy can be to your teeth, you are probably wondering how you can satisfy your sweet tooth without indulging in sugary treats.
Try eating fresh fruits rather than something sweet. They are nutrient-rich and besides tasty as candies. If you want to make a dessert, use less sugar and a high amount of fresh fruit. Moreover, you can make sweets in your home using healthy ingredients that are less harmful to your teeth but still tasty.
For example, you can make your own ice cream by adding some pieces of banana (rather than sugar) to get the same sweet taste and creamy texture. You can also add peanut butter and coconut to your dessert to decrease the amount of sugar content.
If you care about your oral health, monitor sugar consumption carefully and visit a dentist regularly.
We understand that everyone enjoys sweets, so if you have any questions about having a beautiful smile and your favorite chocolates (that you probably can’t stop eating), please contact York Orthodontics.
