The Worst Christmas Foods For Your Teeth

The Worst Christmas Foods For Your Teeth

29/11/2021

With Christmas on the horizon, supermarket shelves are being stocked with all your favourite Christmas treats. Christmas is definitely the time of year where we are more likely to overindulge on all the sweet treats, as we are surrounded by them for an entire month! Whilst we recognise the impact all these foods have on our weight and overall health in January when we feel sluggish and bloated, don’t forget about your teeth and the negative impact prolonged exposure to these foods can have.

Enjoy yourself, of course! Everything can be eaten in moderation with a thorough dental hygiene routine. However, these are the foods we suggest you try to cut down on this festive season…

Sweets & Chocolates

All the tins of sweets and chocolates over Christmas can be tempting and are an easy sugary pick me up throughout the day. However, these treats are so heavily full of sugar that they can very quickly cause tooth decay. Prolonged periods of sugar in your mouth can lead to bad bacteria forming. This bacterium attacks your teeth and can cause decay and erosion.

Toffee

Hard toffees are a dentist’s worst nightmare, especially at Christmas. Many teeth have been cracked, chipped and broken due to patients biting into a Christmas toffee. These hard toffees can even destroy existing dental works including fillings and veneers! As well as this, sticky sugar from these sweets lingers in your mouth for a long time and can cause tooth decay which will require further dental treatment.

Mulled Wine

One of the main causes of stained teeth is red wine, which just happens to be the main ingredient in mulled wine! If you can, avoid mulled wine this Christmas as not only can it potentially stain your teeth an unattractive colour, it is also full of large amounts of sugar (accelerated by the acidic citrus fruits) which can lead to erosion and decaying of your teeth.

Healthier alternatives for your teeth are milk, almonds and cheese. So instead of reaching for that tin of chocolates, why not opt for a cheese board instead! Cheese is great for your teeth and can also help neutralise the acid in your mouth which will prevent any further damage.