The holidays are here, and that usually means indulging in seasonal delicacies, sweets, wines, and of course, endless snacks. While your taste buds may rejoice, your teeth often pay the price. Dentists are warning that certain holiday foods are more likely to cause teeth cavities and enamel erosion than others.
If you want to keep your smile bright into the New Year, here are the worst offenders to watch out for.
Sticky Sweets and Toffees
Chewy toffees, caramels, and nougat are holiday staples, but they’re also absolutely terrible for your teeth. Their sticky texture clings to enamel and wedges into crevices, making it hard for saliva to wash away the sugar. This prolonged exposure feeds harmful bacteria, which may accelerate tooth decay, especially if you are already at risk of cavities.
Worse still, these sweets can pull out fillings or damage crowns, according to Dr Malavi Sivakanesan, a London dentist who studies adult tooth loss. If you can’t resist (we know it’s hard!), rinse your mouth with water afterwards and don’t forget to brush later.
Dried Fruit in Christmas Cakes
What’s Christmas without some delicious seasonal cake? As much as we love this particular treat, dentists want you to be aware of the various dried fruits in it.
Dried fruits—such as raisins, dates, and figs—sound great as fruits, but they are highly concentrated sources of sugar and have a sticky consistency similar to toffee. Treats can linger on your teeth far longer than fresh fruit.
Moreover, Christmas cakes you might buy at stores may use dried fruits with even more added sugar. When combined with the other carbohydrates and sugars in Christmas cakes, Christmas cake, or pudding, it’s akin to a time bomb ticking towards a cavity. Therefore, moderation is key. And rinse your mouth after eating.
Sugary Alcoholic Drinks
The holidays don’t feel as festive without mulled wine, Christmas cocktails, and seasonal liqueurs. However, boozy holiday beverages tend to be acidic and packed with sugar. Acid weakens enamel, and sugar fuels bacteria. Sipping these drinks slowly over hours makes matters worse, as it puts your teeth under constant attack.
That is not to say you should skip your favourite December cocktails. Rather, alternate your drinks with water (or mouth rinsing) and don’t brush right after drinking an alcoholic drink. When enamel is softened by acids in food, it can be damaged by brushing.
Hard Candy
Hard candies, like candy canes, are iconic during Christmas, but they are also a prime reason for dental emergencies during the holiday season. Biting down on hard candies risks breaking or cracking enamel. If you have had dental issues in the past, this risk becomes especially high.
Sucking on hard candy, while fun, is not much better for your teeth either. Doing so bathes your teeth in sugar for extended periods, increasing the risk of cavities. If you love hard candy, let it dissolve slowly and resist the urge to crunch.
Starchy Snacks
Crisps, crackers, and bread rolls are everywhere during the season. They are readily available in hotels and resorts in December, so the temptation to snack a lot is high. While starchy foods may not seem as bad as sweets, remember that starch breaks down into sugar in your mouth.
Additionally, these foods often stick between teeth, feeding bacteria and increasing the risk of cavities. Combine that with festive grazing, where snacks are eaten throughout the day, and you’ve got a recipe for plaque build-up. Keep a travel-sized toothbrush handy or rinse with water after snacking.
Citrus Garnishes, Glazes and Sauces
Those festive touches, like lemon slices in drinks, tangy cranberry sauce, or citrus glazes, add zest to holiday festivities, but the acidity can damage your teeth.
While citrus foods are healthy, exposing your enamel to their acids for hours on end can gradually wear down the enamel. This not only makes teeth more sensitive but also increases the risk of decay. Enjoy these flavours sparingly and pair them with water to neutralise acids.
How to Protect Your Teeth During the Holidays
Protecting your teeth doesn’t mean you have to avoid your favourite holiday treats. Rather, develop smart habits that will minimise the damage. Here are several simple oral healthcare tips to follow:
- Don’t forget to brush twice daily and floss! Don’t get too caught up in your celebrations and forget basic oral hygiene.
- Drink plenty of water. It helps wash away sugars and neutralises acids.
- Chew sugar-free gum. Instead of snacking on bread rolls, chew on no-sugar gums to stimulate the saliva flow.
- Limit snacking. Frequent snacking keeps teeth under constant attack from sugar-loving bacteria.
- Rinse after drinking wine. It stains teeth. Rinsing with water can reduce the risk of tooth decay.
Last but not least, don’t forget to book a dental visit after the holidays. Your dentist will be able to make a damage assessment, if any, and prescribe treatments early. You will be able to start the new year with a bright smile with proper oral care.
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-bread-on-white-ceramic-plate-EgG6wcsjFtE
Author Bio
Dr Malavi Sivakanesan is the co-founder and principal clinician at the Complete Smiles dental clinic in Harrow. She has a special interest in edentulism (adult tooth loss). Outside of managing the Complete Smiles clinics in the UK and Norway, Dr Sivakanesan is a dedicated advocate for affordable dental care.
