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Holiday Desserts Low in Sugar
Every time the winter holidays roll around, I’m left thinking about all the sugar I’m about to consume, and it always makes me feel guilty for the harm I’m putting my teeth through. But, then I realize that I’m on top of my dental game year round, which means that a few days of junky, sugary sweets shouldn’t harm anything so long as I brush thoroughly afterwards.
Considering that the holidays bring with them an insatiable appetite for sweet treats, it’s hard to avoid all the treats available at your family gathering. And when you start tracking your sugar intake, you’ll find sugar everywhere.
Even an overabundance of natural sugar can have an unintended reaction to your dental health; and this sugar consumption is something your dentist will also suggest you against. When the bacteria in your mouth comes in contact with sugar, even natural sugar found in fruit, it produces acid. It’s this acid that actually causes cavities in your teeth. But you needn’t worry.. We know it’s the time of year when the sweet treats are everywhere. You can still enjoy desserts that are low in sugar as an alternative if you’re quite conscious of your teeth.
Check out what we’ve compiled. Some of these holiday desserts are full of flavor but extremely low in sugar, and that’s the ultimate combination.
Popcorn
Popcorn is actually pretty great on your teeth since it acts as a detergent (a self cleaning agent while chewing it) and it’s really got no sugars to worry about if it’s not coated in anything. The biggest thing to remember is to brush well afterward. If you’ve never tried popcorn as a dessert, you’re missing out. (And it pairs perfectly with any holiday films you’re watching!)
Fruit salad
Fruit does have natural sugar, yes. But it’s still preferable to baked treats with granulated sugar. All you have to do is mix up a fruit salad with whatever low sugar, low calorie mixers you may want to use, and voila! You’ve got a healthy, colorful dessert.
Frozen yogurt bark
This is the first thing we think of when it comes to holiday desserts that aren’t gingerbread. (Or maybe that’s just me.) The thing is, peppermint bark is quite packed in sugar. We suggest you make a yogurt bark instead to make a low-sugar snack for your family members. You’ll be hooked instantly, and you won’t have to worry about the kids overeating on this! Just make sure to do it next year and those following to stay on that health train.
Getting Ready for Your Next Dental Checkup
The end of 2019 is here, which means all sorts of holiday gatherings and festive decorations! But it also means that you’re likely due for a dental appointment, especially if you’ve been putting it off for quite some time. And I get it. You begin to worry if you’ll have a cavity or if your wisdom teeth are ready to be pulled. Heck, your gums that bleed every now and then when you brush even worry you.
What you need to do is take some time to prepare yourself mentally for your next visit. But just as well, it’s good to get back in a good routine before going to at least improve the state of your mouth some. Our suggestions?
Start flossing
We get it. You probably have been putting this off lately, as most people do. But like others, you’re probably quick to say you have been flossing when your dentists asks if you have, even if you really haven’t. We suggest that you get on board with flossing now. Not later, not soon. Now. At the very least, you’ll show some effort in getting your dental game back on track, and gingivitis is something that will quickly disappear if handled right.
What else can you do?
Brush twice a day
Sure, you say you do this twice a day. But do you actually? Before your visit, you should make sure that you’re getting those regular two brushings in each day. And it’s really quite important that you pay attention to the small pains or discomfort you may experience when you brush and floss. This is something you can tell your dentist that you’ve noticed, which only serves to let them help you better. (Also, you’ll probably be thanked for brushing more often by your partner or family members!)
More than anything, we just want you to remember not to stress. Your visit will be great, everything will go smoothly, and you’ll have a nice, super clean mouth with sparkling teeth the next time you see your family or friends. There’s nothing better than how your teeth feel after a nice deep cleaning, and it really serves more purposes than just the feeling and looks. You’ll be well prepared for the ensuing visit, especially if you’ve gained a little extra motivation to keep cleaning your teeth well and staying on top of your flossing routine. It’s the little daily things that matter in the long run, right?
Braces and Food
Having braces has always seemed to be a bit of a “rite of passage” for American teens over the past two or three decades. Without fail, you’ll always see movies and TV series depicting teens as having braces and going through some sort of metamorphosis once the braces come off. Perhaps it does feel like that to those who have worn braces. I’m not totally sure, considering I never had to.
Nonetheless, a major hamper in the process of wearing braces is the restriction of foods you can eat. If all of this was centered around food getting caught in your braces and it being annoying, it wouldn’t be nearly as big of a deal.The real problem is that food can actually damage your braces, the wires, or the rubber bands.
But luckily for you, you should be just fine if you simply steer clear of sticky foods and anything else that is too chewy or hard. More often than not, this just requires a judgement call on the food or treat at hand. But sometimes it can be tricky to know what will damage your braces if you haven’t tried it out before or are new to braces. So let’s take a look at the foods that most often cause problems for those who wear braces. Outside of the obvious candidates like gum and hard candy, we’ve got a few you may not have considered that are extremely common.
Chewing ice
I’m not saying one piece of ice will harm you if you happen to break it up with your teeth while taking a big drink of ice water. This is more for those out there who like to chew ice. It’s a bad habit in general for anyone without braces, but those with braces can do damage to the rubber bands when eating ice.
Corn chips & hard crackers
This is stuff you’ll want to back off of in general, even if you don’t have braces. Because it’s junk food. Nonetheless, these types of snacks can break your rubber bands, get lodged in between your braces and teeth, and end up damaging not only the wiring but your teeth in general.
Popcorn
Popcorn is good at getting stuck between teeth even when braces aren’t present. But when you have braces, it’ll become even harder to dislodge. You don’t want the leftover popcorn debris sitting in between your braces and teeth festering as is, so just avoid it altogether.