Best and Worst Candy for your Teeth

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and is usually celebrated with large amounts of candy. While you are sharing your sweets with the one you love, you will want to take special care of your teeth. Visiting the dentists at Roger’s Center for Dentistry in Spanish Fork, Utah may be necessary. Until then we have provided you with a list of the best and worst candies for you to munch on when it comes to the health of your teeth.

BEST

• Sugar-Free Candy. This is of course one of the best options when it comes to any candy variety for your teeth. The sugar in candy creates an acidic environment in the mouth. The acid attacks and weakens the tooth enamel and greatly promotes the growth of bacteria. The longer the bacteria stays in your mouth increases your chances of it causing damage to your teeth.
• Dark Chocolate. This is a chocolate that has proven to be beneficial for your health in a variety of areas. The calcium from chocolate can harden teeth and a compound found in the husk of cocoa beans actually fights bacteria and plaque. It also dissolves fast and has a lower amount of sugar than most candy.
• Candy with Nuts. This is always a yummy treat and is actually one of the better candies for you. The nuts in the candy work as a scrubbing tool to scrape off large amounts of sugar from the candy off of your teeth.

WORST

• Hard Candy. These candies are meant to be chewed and sucked on over longer periods of time, thus allowing the acid from the sugar to come into contact with your teeth over an extended amount of time.
• Sticky Candy. This is just as bad as hard candy. The sticky candy will actually adhere to the surface of your teeth and allow for the acid to do its dirty work and create bacteria. That is why it is so important to brush your teeth as soon as possible after consuming sticky candy.

You don’t have to avoid candy all together to make sure your teeth are healthy, instead you can choose candies that are the best for your oral health and/or make sure you are keeping up on your oral hygiene routine. For more information regarding your oral health you will want to schedule an appointment with your dentist at Roger’s Center for Dentistry in Spanish Fork, Utah. Our experienced staff can help you in answering any and all questions you may have regarding your oral health.