One of the best parts about the holiday season is all the festive food! Unfortunately, many traditional staples aren’t so great for your teeth. Treats like peppermint bark, hot chocolate, and cookie cutouts are loaded with sugar, which accelerates bacteria growth in your mouth, increasing your risk of cavities. To balance out your diet and avoid a yuletide dental emergency, consider incorporating these more smile-friendly alternatives into your holiday meals.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ordinarily, a vegetable wouldn’t sound all that exciting or flavorful to most kids. But when you drench them in cheese, they suddenly become more appealing! Broccoli cheese soup is a classic that will help you and your family stay warm in the upcoming weeks. Plus, it’s packed with vitamins C and K, which protects your gums from inflammation and strengthens your teeth.
Whole Grain Bread Rolls
Who doesn’t like a fluffy, buttery bread roll? This side-dish can be the perfect addition to a three-course meal – as long as you’re careful about the type of bread. The carbs in white flour rolls quickly dissolve into sugar in your mouth and aren’t much better than chowing down on candy canes or chocolate fudge. The carbs in whole grain rolls, on the other hand, break down much more slowly and are safer for your smile.
Roasted Nuts
Roasting chestnuts on an open fire can be more than a nod to the popular Christmas song. It can be a cozy way to make a dentist-approved snack! Nuts contain calcium and phosphorous, two important building blocks that make up a tooth’s structure. Including more of these minerals in your diet can help your pearly whites fortify and repair themselves.
Low-Sugar Gingerbread
Ginger has excellent anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it a powerful anti-gum disease spice. But as you probably know if you have kids that love decorating with icing and sprinkles, gingerbread cookies can be high in sugar. If you keep the sugar content low and use natural sweeteners, you can reap the benefits of ginger and still enjoy this holiday favorite. It just might be more of a snack for you than your kids!
Enjoy Your Favorites, but Mind What You Eat
As you can see from some of these examples, you can still indulge in traditionally sugary holiday treats. Making small substitutions is a great way to transform a dental terror into a more smile-friendly option. Enjoying one or two gingerbread cookies decorated to look like Santa or one of his elves also won’t immediately ruin your teeth. Mind what you eat, keep the sugar consumption to a minimum, and remember to brush and floss. That’s the recipe for a holiday season full of bright, healthy smiles!
About the Practice
Our team of friendly dentists at Atrium Family Dental of New Lenox is ready to help you get your smile ready for the holidays! We have convenient office hours and an online appointment request system, taking the hassle out of scheduling a routine checkup and cleaning or quick teeth whitening session. Of course, you’re also welcome to contact our office at 815-462-9990. Let us know how we can help you take care of your teeth!