A heart-shaped box of chocolates from a special someone is hard to refuse, but all that extra sugar on sweet holidays like Valentine’s Day can be extra tough on your teeth. Here are the best and worst Valentine’s Day candies so you can celebrate all the sweetness of the day without sacrificing anyone’s dental health.
Swipe Left on These Sweets
While candy probably isn’t ever going to be considered a healthy food, there are some candies that are worse for your teeth than others. It can be good to know which candies those are so you can enjoy sweets to celebrate the holiday or gift them for a loved one to enjoy.
On our list of best and worst Valentine’s Day candies, chewy and sticky candy takes the cake for the top type of candy to avoid. The more that a candy sticks to your teeth, the more likely it is to leave behind a sugary residue that can linger in the crevices of your teeth and lead to cavities.
Hard candy is a close second. Because hard candy takes a long time to eat when compared to softer candies, the sugar it contains has a lot more time to impact your teeth negatively.
Better Sweets
Take heart, though! There are safer candy options available! In fact, one of the most popular candies of the holiday, chocolate, is also one of the safest candies to enjoy. That’s because chocolate melts in your mouth, so it’s easily washed away, and less likely to leave behind a sticky residue. Even better, studies have shown that chocolate contains compounds that can help to harden the outer surface of your teeth to actually protect them from cavities.
Now, don’t be mistaken and start eating lots of chocolate as a solution to benefit your dental health just yet! Many chocolates still contain high amounts of sugar, so that information comes with a caveat. If you’re selecting chocolate as a healthier candy choice, try to choose dark chocolates, as those contain less sugar than milk or semi-sweet chocolates. Avoid chocolates with a sticky or chewy center, too.
Another option for Valentine’s Day candy that can be safer for your dental health is sugar-free candy. Sugar-free candy comes in a wide variety of flavors and types to choose from, so you’ll be sure to find something to please even the pickiest sweet tooth. Dentists recommend sugar-free alternatives because sugar can be harmful to your teeth. Sugar feeds the bacteria that naturally occurs in your mouth, which produces an acid that can erode the outer surface of your teeth, leading to discoloration, increased sensitivity, and cavities.
After-holiday Care
It’s important to do your best to make healthy choices, so information such as knowing which are the best and worst Valentine’s Day candies can be helpful, but it’s also normal to make a few exceptions on holidays like Valentine’s Day. So do your best, but enjoy the holiday; then take good care of your teeth. Make sure to brush and floss well after enjoying your candy and to visit your dentist on schedule for a regular check-up and professional cleaning. Do what makes you smile and keeps that smile healthy, beautiful, and strong, because you deserve it.
Call our Imperial Dental Office, to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.