How to Satisfy your Sweet Tooth without Risking your Dental Health

Louisville, KY

Sometimes, even when things are bad for you, you crave them. This applies to sugary sweets like candy, cake and cookies. Unfortunately, these sweet treats can wreak havoc on your dental health. The harmful bacteria in your mouth feed off of sugar and the more sugars that are present, the more they can proliferate and strengthen. Left to flourish, these bacteria form the sticky plaque that serves as the initial building block of areas of tooth decay. So, what’s the solution? You don’t have to deprive yourself of desserts forever. Today on the blog, your family dentists in Louisville explore ways you can indulge your sweet tooth without greatly raising your risk of cavities.

Which sweets are worst for your teeth?

Anything sticky: Have you ever gotten a gooey candy stuck on your fingers? The same principle applies in your mouth, where these sticky sweets can adhere and be difficult to remove. Taffy, caramels, gumdrops, jelly beans, gummy bears … They are all different varieties of sticky candy and, the longer that they stay in contact with your teeth, the more fuel they provide for any harmful bacteria in your mouth.

Hard candies: Hard candies like peppermints and lollipops spend several minutes in your mouth dissolving. This prolongs the amount of time your teeth are exposed to the sugars in these treats. Biting down on one of these candies also could chip a tooth.

Sour candy: Consuming too much acid can wear away at your tooth enamel, the protective outer layer of your tooth structure. Sour candy is highly acidic while also usually being coated in sugar, creating a double whammy situation for your teeth.

Tips to satisfy your sweet tooth

Go dark: When it comes to chocolate, dark chocolate is the better choice. The higher composition of cacao or cocoa in dark chocolate means it has less sugar in it.

Water, anyone?: Any time you are enjoying a sweet treat, have a drink of water handy or rinse your mouth with water after the fact. This helps scrub away any lingering sugars on your teeth. If you ate a sour candy, water dilutes any remaining acids to help restore a healthy pH balance in your mouth.

After meals: Saliva is a natural defense mechanism in your mouth. It washes away food particles, sugar and other debris and serves to neutralize acids that are present. Your mouth produces the most saliva while you are eating a meal, so it is better to eat some dessert at the end of your meal as opposed to snacking on sweets at random.

Chew gum: Chewing sugar-free gum also helps to dilute acid, reduce harmful bacteria in your mouth and encourage the production of saliva. Gum also can be a substitute if your craving for sweets hits. Just be sure to keep sugar-free gum stowed if you have pets. The most common sugar substitute used in these gums is xylitol, which is highly toxic to dogs and cats.

Family dentistry in Kentuckiana

Looking for more tips on how to manage your sweet tooth? At Exceptional Dentistry, we can offer advice and nutrition counseling during each of your regularly scheduled checkups. Our practice currently is accepting new patients and you can visit any of our two locations, in Louisville or Shepherdsville, Kentucky, as well as Jeffersonville, Indiana. To make an appointment, call (502) 423-7868 or visit us online to schedule your initial consultation.