The Dental Dangers of Desserts

Fast food gets all the blame for bad health in America. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of fast food, but there are other things to consider.

It’s not the occasional Big Mac or stuffed-crust pizza that destroys our health. It’s all of the little snacks and treats along the way that make a bigger difference.

It’s okay to let loose with a fast food meal or a large fancy dinner from time to time. Even dentists like to eat out, you know.

We may be dentists, but we’re still human!

The Dangers Of Dessert 

The occasional large meal isn’t going to harm your dental health, as long as you actually floss and brush your teeth afterwards. It might make you tired, bloated, and have other health consequences, but no one ever got a cavity from one meal.

What really impacts your dental health is the food that you eat every single day. One of the worst habits you can possibly have is eating ice cream after dinner every day.

It’s the daily wear and tear from sweets that does more harm than any single meal. Even if you do brush and floss every day, all of that sugar slowly decays your teeth. Let’s be honest, most of us aren’t brushing our teeth within minutes of finishing dessert, so it’s no exaggeration to say that we are slowing deteriorating our teeth with each bowl of ice cream and piece of cake.

How to Change Your Dessert-Eating Habits

Habits are hard to break and the most effective way to end a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. There are two practical approaches you can take to limit the damage done to your teeth from eating desserts:

1.    You can replace your normal dessert with a healthier alternative -- This way you’re still getting a dessert with each dinner, without damaging your teeth.

2.    You can limit your dessert to once or twice a week -- This way you’re still getting the food you crave, while limiting its exposure to your teeth.