The holidays are a loving and family-orientated time of the year. It is usually filled with tasty foods and delicious sweets. Cookies, pie, chocolates, and holiday pastries will likely be present in most houses, so it might be easy to allow your sweet tooth to take control and help you indulge in more sugary foods. However, if you want to avoid the cavities from eating so many sugary foods, there are some steps you can take.
How Do Sweets Cause Cavities?
Sugary foods like sweets feed the natural occurring bacteria in the mouth. This creates acid that begins to eat away at the enamel on teeth, making each tooth weaker and vulnerable to decay. Also, weaker teeth are also susceptible to other oral problems such as gingivitis. Keep this in mind when your coworker brings a tray of sweets for everyone to snack on throughout the day. When a person is constantly snacking on sweet foods and candy all day, they allow that acid to build and do further damage to enamel and teeth. Ultimately, this increases your chances of tooth decay and gum disease.
Here are some tips that may help reduce the damage that sweets do to your teeth.
- Try brushing and flossing after snacks to reduce bacteria.
- Eat healthy foods to balance out the sweets.
- Foods rich in carbs can help lessen the impact sugary foods have on the teeth.
- Try to avoid sticky candies like caramels and candy canes; reach for plain dark chocolate instead.
- Wait for about 30-40 minutes after a meal to brush your teeth, especially after sweets.
- Don’t forget to rinse your mouth with water after eating to wash away any remaining food particles and bacteria.
After the holidays, and once all the sweets are gone, be sure to schedule a teeth cleaning at our office. Call Foothill Dental Care in Livermore at (925) 961-5484 to schedule an appointment today.