Which sweets are not harmful to teeth? Dentist named the most harmless desserts

Associate Professor, Candidate of Medical Sciences, founder of the clinic, orthodontist of the highest category

From childhood we have an attitude that sweets are bad for teeth. Parents in an attempt to avoid tooth decay constantly tell their children about it and limit them in desserts. You will be surprised, but in fact this does not apply to all sweets.

Is it true that sweets spoil teeth, but sugar-free desserts do not?

First, let’s look at why tooth decay occurs. It’s all about the bacteria that inhabit the oral cavity. Some of them have almost no effect on the development of caries, others, on the contrary, are associated with its development. These are primarily Streptococcus mutans, but other microbes also contribute.

Most sweet foods contain sucrose, which consists of glucose and fructose residues. Bacteria feed on these substances, and in the process of digesting them, acid is formed. It must be neutralized, for which calcium is leached from the tooth enamel.

The more acid, the more calcium is needed. The surface layer of enamel is weakened in this case. As a result, the teeth become more vulnerable to the action of bacteria.

But this is not always the case. In rare cases there is cariesoresistance, which is based on two main mechanisms.

Some people have few streptococci and other caries-causing bacteria in the oral cavity, so little acid is produced when digesting sugar. In other people, tooth enamel is so dense that even significant losses of calcium do not reduce its strength.

Which sweets are especially dangerous for teeth?

It is definitely not necessary to write down in the list of harmful products all the existing sweets in the world. But, of course, there are quite dangerous for teeth desserts, from which you should refuse. Basically, these are those that stick to the teeth, thus creating a substrate on their surface that attracts bacteria.

Among them: toffee, caramel, lollipops. It is better to avoid such candies, and if you still can not do it, then at least you should rinse your mouth after you eat them, and better – fully clean your teeth with a brush and paste.

From this simple but important hygienic procedure depends on the health of the oral cavity as a whole. Brush your teeth in the morning after breakfast and in the evening before going to bed. In this way, you will remove from the surface of the sugar residues that remain there after meals during the day.

It is better not to eat sweets in the evening. This will not only have a beneficial effect on the figure, but also reduce the risk of tooth decay.

If you do not brush your teeth well enough, then at night the anaerobic bacteria living in the oral cavity and not needing oxygen will become especially active in absorbing food residues and release acid.

Are there any desserts that are not harmful to teeth?

A complete ban on sweets is quite hard to endure. Our body is organized in such a way that as soon as we decide to give up desserts, the brain will immediately “insist” on cakes and pastries.

That’s why I don’t recommend choosing the strategy of an absolute ban, it’s better to introduce sweets that are safer for dental health into your diet.

Among them:

• bitter chocolate with high cocoa content and minimum sugar;
• sports bars and products for diabetics, where there is no glucose, so favored by bacteria;
• chocolate with nuts and honeycomb honey, pieces of which can further clean teeth from plaque buildup;
• low-sugar fruits.
• Sugar substitutes, such as xylitol. This is a natural analog, its bacteria are unable to digest it. This means that when consuming such products dangerous for tooth enamel acid is not released at all.

However, you should not switch exclusively to products with xylitol. Its excess will not harm your teeth, but it is quite capable of causing digestive upset.