The festive season is here and with it comes food and drink bad for your teeth! Maintaining your dental health can help you avoid going through gum disease treatment, but this time of year makes it more difficult.
At Ashwood Dental, we believe in preventative dentistry. Routine checkups and good dental hygiene are key in prevention, but so is your diet. The festive season brings a lot of temptation, and we often find ourselves throwing healthy-eating out the window. Eating too many foods that are bad for your teeth can lead to complications such as gingivitis, bad breath, tooth decay, and potentially gum disease.
Festive Foods to Avoid
In a perfect world, we’d suggest avoiding these festive foods entirely. In reality, we know they’re a part of holiday celebrations and don’t want you to miss out – so moderation is key! We also suggest popping in for a visit with your Ashburton dentist early in the new year, just to keep on top of your oral health and make sure your festive feeds didn’t do any damage.
- Candy canes
A festive favourite, but the beloved candy canes unfortunately fall into the ‘food that can crack your teeth’ category. Sucking on one of these all day long bathes your teeth in sugar. Even worse, chomping down on these bad boys can wear down your tooth enamel and potentially crack or chip your pearly whites!
- Dried fruit
You might be surprised to hear, but dried fruit is significantly higher in sugar than your standard apple or pear. Not only does the sugar content increase your risk of tooth decay, but dried fruit can be notoriously sticky and make it harder to keep your teeth and gums clean!
- Cranberry Sauce
While a great addition to your Christmas turkey, cranberry sauce tends to have an abundance of artificial additives, corn syrup and sugar! All which lead to tooth decay, and bad breath.
- Stuffing
Seemingly harmless, but often packed with carbs! Carbohydrates convert to sugar as you chew, and can contribute to your cavities if it gets stuck in between your teeth.
- Eggnog
Last but not least, we have eggnog! A unique beverage that pops up every holiday season. Eggnog is absolutely full of sugar, with around 20g per serve. It is also full of dairy and alcohol, drying out your mouth and leaving sugar residue all over your teeth and gums.
At Ashwood Dental Surgery, our expert dentists offer gum disease treatment and advice on prevention. Come visit your Ashburton dentist to have a chat about the foods that are bad for your teeth and what you can do to avoid gum disease!
