Once you get past all the preparation, the holidays are a great time to relax and enjoy fun times with family and friends. And that often means food, drinks, and treats!
The challenge is of course not to overdo it, especially with the treats part. So how do you navigate the holidays while keeping your health – and that of your teeth – intact?
Dentist of Gardena wants you and your family to enjoy the holiday season. So, we have some ideas for you on how to best enjoy holiday treats without completely destroying your teeth.
Since we are dentists in Gardena, we will obviously tell you that having too much sugar isn’t good for your teeth. And a lot of holiday treats, such as traditional Christmas cookies with lots of sugary sprinkles on top, fit that bill of too much sugar.
However, sugar isn’t necessarily the only problem when it comes to holiday treats and teeth. Hard candies can wear at teeth and cause problems for braces and dental fillings. Sticky candies like toffees, caramels, and the like can also adhere to tooth surfaces and cause problems with dental appliances.
Therefore, finding the best holiday treats can be extremely helpful in preventing not just long-term tooth damage, but short-term accidents with appliances such as braces.
We have already mentioned some of the problem holiday treats. Now, we’re not saying you can never have these sweet things, but it’s not a bad idea to reduce them. And of course, if you do have dental appliances such as braces, please talk to us at Dentist of Gardena before chomping down on something that might break your braces or dental work. We will be happy to give you a list of foods to avoid.
So, without further ado, here is a list of items you might want to cut down on or avoid entirely over the holidays:
Foods high in sugar (cookies, pies, cakes, candies)
Caramels, toffees, and other sticky sweets, particularly if you’re wearing braces
Hard candies like Werther’s
Candy canes, which can be filed under “hard candies” but deserve their own category
Sugary sweet potatoes with marshmallows
If you are reading the above list and frightened that you might not be able to enjoy holiday food at all, don’t worry. First of all, as we’ve said, sometimes it’s simply a question of reducing intake. Now, of course, if you have braces, stay away from caramel. But, if you have a few sugary cookies, just make sure that you brush and floss your teeth afterwards.
And try to replace some of the worst holiday treats with some healthier ones.
Now that we’ve gone over the worst holiday treats, what are some better holiday treats you can enjoy in Southern California? We’re actually going to speak less about specific treats here as opposed to strategies. So here are some suggestions:
Many of your favorite Christmas or holiday cakes and cookies can be made with a sugar substitute. Two popular sugar substitutes are Splenda and stevia. These alternatives to sugar are easy to bake with. You can use a one-on-one to one replacement substituting granulated Splenda or stevia instead of regular sugar. This will automatically help your teeth.
The good news is, sugar substitutes can be helpful for all of the main holiday goodies, including the ubiquitous Christmas cookie, pumpkin pies, apple pies, cherry pies, fruitcake, regular cake, and even ethnic favorites such as pizzelles.
OK, so you’re visiting your mom and she’s not one for using sugar substitutes. She’s got a whole bunch of pies and cookies and wants you to have some. It’s OK to treat yourself a little bit, just don’t eat a lot. This, of course, requires self-control, but you’ll thank yourself later.
We’ve already mentioned that using the sugar substitute can make the average holiday baked treat into something that’s safe(r) for teeth. However, you can go even further, and bake cookies and pies and even cakes that have healthier ingredients all around. You might use whole grain flour, perhaps a non-gluten version, add fruits and nuts, and other healthy superfoods such as chia seeds, flax seeds, and goji berries.
However, this is where healthier in general might not be so great for certain types of teeth. For example, if you or your child is wearing metal braces, you probably want to avoid the nuts and seeds. They can get easily stuck in braces. Use common sense and talk to us at Dentist of Gardena if you have a question.
So, what about the common candy cane? Is there a way to have one without the hard candy and the sugar? The answer is, yes. This is a very easy solution: take a banana and some strawberries and cut them up into identical pieces. Then arrange them on a plate in the shape of a candy cane, with bananas and strawberries alternating.
Creating a fruit candy cane is a fun activity for kids, and it is a much healthier way to eat a candy cane. However, we will note that fruit also has sugar, so your kids will still need to rinse and floss their teeth after having their healthy candy cane.
Ultimately, many other problems with holiday treats can be fixed if you just take care of your teeth through proper dental hygiene. After your holiday dinner and desserts in Gardena, make sure you rinse your mouth out with some water and brush and floss your teeth as soon as possible. This will help keep your teeth healthy even if you gorged on some sugary treats earlier. Happy holidays!
If you’ve eaten too many holiday treats and need a professional teeth cleaning, visit us at Dentist of Gardena. Call us today at (424) 321-7470 to sched
