Caramel, Candy Canes, and Other Holiday Foods Dentists Fear

The holiday season comes with plenty to celebrate, though perhaps not for your teeth. While you’re spending time with family and sharing gifts, you may also be indulging in some of the common holiday foods that could damage your oral health.

While indulging in these foods a bit is fine, it’s best to do so with caution. Here are some of the holiday treats you may need to watch out for.

Hard Candy

Candy canes and hard candy become almost unavoidable this time of year, which can be a bit of a problem for your teeth. Even more so than most other candies, hard candies can pose serious problems for the quality of your smile.

The longer that sugar sticks around in your mouth, the more that the bacteria there will flourish. Given that hard candy is designed to dissolve slowly, it can be particularly problematic for this reason. For that reason, you may want to stick to sweets that dissolve more easily, like chocolate.

Fruit Pies

Many fruit pies, like cherry and berry pies, contain dark pigments that can leave stains on your teeth. This is made worse by these fruits’ mild acidity, which can dissolve the top layer of enamel. This allows these stains to penetrate even deeper than they could otherwise.

If you do have dessert, you may want to follow up with a thorough brushing afterward.

Alcohol

Booze isn’t the best for your health in general, but most people don’t really understand the relationship between it and oral health. Long term, alcohol abuse dramatically increases your chances for oral cancer, but there are short term issues to look out for as well.

Alcohol can cause dehydration which, in addition to creating nasty hangovers, can dry up the saliva in your mouth. This is a problem, as saliva is ordinarily responsible for breaking down foods and neutralizing the pH in the mouth. Without it, you put yourself at greater risk of developing gum disease and other oral health problems.

Not to say you can’t have any egg nogg this year, but if you do, be sure to drink plenty of water.

About the Author

Dr. Yana Nemtseva loves being a dentist not only for how it allows her to flex her scientific muscles, but also for being able to meet and help all kinds of people. The relationships she forms with her patients are incredibly valuable to her and allow her to offer a level of personalized dental care that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Dr. Nemtseva received her dental degree from the New York University College of Dentistry, and completed her General Practice Residency Program at Woodhull Medical and Mental Center.

If you have any questions about how to protect your teeth this holiday season, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (732) 972-6400.