Dentist New York-Dr Lawrence Spindel Dangerous holiday foods

 

Are the Holidays Bad for our Teeth?

 

By Lawrence M. Spindel, DDS

Dentist New York

Sunday, October 31, 2010

 

 The fall holiday season is a time for celebrating with family and friends. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah and New Years, all come during  the fall and winter months , a time when we crave calories.  During our celebrations often many high calorie deserts and sweets are available to tempt us. This is a short article discussing how these sweets not only effect our waist lines, but also can have a negative effect on the health of our mouths.

The bacteria that reside in our teeth’s plaque easily metabolize both carbohydrates and sucrose.   Diets rich in refined carbohydrates will increase the amount of dental plaque that accumulates in the course of 24 hours.  These bacteria produce acids when they metabolize sucrose and this acid can place our teeth at a greater likelihood for developing tooth decay!

Given the fact that deserts and cookies are abundant at this time of year, what should we do to mitigate the damage they might cause in our mouths?  It is important to remember that is it is not the amount of sugar that we consume in 24 hours that matters the most, but instead , what really matters is the percentage of the day that sugar or carbohydrates are in your mouth.

Someone who likes to eat sweet deserts after meals is less at risk for developing decay than someone who snacks over the course of the day on sweets and carbohydrates. Brushing your teeth after eating meals will further help rid the mouth of the residues of cavity producing foods.

Some sweetened deserts are probably worse than others. Deserts with dried fruits probably are the most dangerous to our teeth, since often the dried fruits are sticky and hang around the teeth longer than other more water soluble foods(Stay away from those fruit cakes) Probably leaving cookies out in the kitchen all day long isn’t the best idea, since it encourages our families to snack on them!

With some common sense and good oral hygiene it is very possible to enjoy your holiday deserts and emerge cavity free. Moderation and a good electric tooth brush may help!

Dentist New York