In our daily lives, confections or sugary foods are inevitable. While most people associate high sugar content foods with cavities, confections alone aren't the cause of tooth decay. The carbohydrates in these foods activate the bacteria in your mouth to produce acids that erode your tooth’s enamel. Furthermore, dental experts agree that reducing sugar content in your diet leads to healthy teeth.

Even so, you can still have your sweet foods without putting your dental health at risk. AtDr. Brite, we strive to provide toxin-free products that help improve your dental health. They don’t contain any hormone disruptors and inflammatory agents. Our aim is to offer solutions and ensure we put that smile back. 

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Here’s our top 10 ways of maintaining perfect oral health even as you enjoy your sweets.

1.Limit Your Sweet-Consumption Time

Significant damage can result from having sugary food for an extended time or having it frequently. The erosive acids causing bacteria feed on these confections resulting in tooth decay. When the acid eats away the enamel, your teeth develop weak points where the bacteria can easily attack. This process takes approximately twenty minutes.

Therefore, you should have your sweets as fast as possible and brush your teeth immediately. Instead of having sweets for snacks all the time, you could alternate them with healthy snacks such as fresh fruits and vegetable juice, lower-fat yogurt, or unsalted nuts.

2.Make the Right Choice of Sweets

One may tend to think that all sweets are the same. Nonetheless, some are safer than others. Avoid hard and sticky candies when selecting your sweet because they take longer in your mouth.  While hard sweets take long to dissolve, the sticky ones allow sugar to hang on even after you’re done eating. And, their extended stay in your mouth increases the risk of tooth decay and plaque.

Also, keep away from candies with added acid in their recipe due to their erosive nature. Moreover, you can get sweets with a sugar substitute known as xylitol. This substance is a natural non-nutritive sweetener that the bacteria feed on but aren’t activated to cause teeth destruction.

3.Know Your vulnerability to Cavities

Get to understand your ability to resist cavities by visiting your nearby dentist. A dental professional can conduct a Caries Susceptibility Test on your teeth to assess the magnitude of your cavity-causing bacteria. If you have a high test, high sugar content exposes you to a higher risk of tooth decay than a low test person

4.Have a Cheese Course after Your Desert

Most people use the usual way when having a multiple-choice meal. That is,starting with an appetizer, then soup and salad, followed by the main course, and finishing with the dessert. Ending your meal with a dessert leaves your mouth filled with sugar, and if not in a position to brush immediately, you put your teeth in great danger.

To enhance the safety of your teeth from the cavity-causing bacteria, follow your dessert with a cheese course. Cheese has the ability to counter the acids from sugary food by restoring the natural pH levels of your mouth. It also has a teeth and bones strengthening compound known as casein phosphate.

5.Always Have A Balanced Diet

Maintaining a balanced diet ensures the overall health of your body. Strong teeth and general oral health depend on the food you eat. These include leafy greens, fibrous fruits, and vegetables. They enable your teeth to resist the damage caused by the acid.

6.Swish Water around the Mouth

Today, tap water contains fluoride that strengthens your enamel and prevents tooth decay. Therefore, water is the most affordable and available remedy to cavity problems. Make it a habit to wash your mouth with water to remove any sugary particles sticking around after eating your sweets. Water also dilutes the acid that the bacteria produce in your mouth.

Moreover, where saliva levels of your mouth are low, you have a higher risk of suffering tooth decay. Water can enhance the sufficient production of saliva in your mouth.

7.Try Disposable Toothbrushes

One of the snacks that we like when traveling is sweets. We also want to have a sweet or two when having our busy schedules. Whichever the case, you may not have time to brush thirty minutes after enjoying your candy.

For that reason, carrying a disposable toothbrush allows you to take a minute and brush your teeth without interfering with other schedules. These toothbrushes are ideal for those always on the move sales personnel because they even have toothpaste for more convenience (see also best kids' toothpaste). You can select one from our wide collection. Dr. Brite proudly offers some of the best toothbrushes that are affordable and are environmentally safe. 

8.Floss After Enjoying Your Sweets

Most people overlook flossing. Even so, removing bacteria and sugary foods between your teeth is critical in ensuring a healthy dental formula. If you allow confections to stick around your teeth, you may expose your enamel at risk of corrosion. And that’s why cavities develop between two teeth. Hence the immediate removal of sugary food ensures no damage occurs after having your candies.

9.Don’t Brush Too Soon After Eating Sweets

Brushing your teeth immediately after having your sweets is risky! Brushing right after finishing your sugary food assists the erosive acids in their destructive work. Therefore, after eating your sweets, wait for about 30-60 minutes before brushing your teeth.  This duration allows saliva to lower the acidity levels in your mouth.

10.Regularly Visit Your Dentist

If you like eating sweets, make an appointment with your dentist every six months. The dental specialist can detect a tooth decay problem at an early stage and resolve it before it's too late. Moreover, regular dental checkups can help you maintain proper oral health with strong and cavity-free teeth.

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Final Verdict

Eating sweets without damaging your teeth is possible! All you have to do is to quickly remove sugar particles from your mouth. However, give your saliva a few minutes to reduce acidity in your mouth before you brush. 

You could swish water around your mouth and then brush after 30-60 minutes to prevent substantial erosion of your enamel. If you are not able to brush, consider using our mouthwash from Dr. Brite after having sweets (check out these natural mouthwash, too). Since we are a health and wellness brand, you can be sure our products are safe because each product we create has carefully selected ingredients that are tested for purity. 

FAQs

1. Can you eat sweets and still have healthy teeth?

To do this, one must brush their teeth after eating the sweet. Brushing your teeth will remove any food particles that may be left on your teeth from a sweet you just ate. This prevents bacteria from building up on the tooth's surface and causing decay or cavities. Additionally, using a fluoride toothpaste will help strengthen the enamel of your tooth by making it more resistant to acid wear which can lead to cavity formation.

2. Can I eat sweets as long as I brush my teeth?

The majority of people believe that you should brush your teeth soon after eating sugar in order to remove any sugar that has gotten stuck between your teeth and your tongue. However, it is actually preferable to wait 30 to 60 minutes after you have finished your dessert before brushing your beautiful whites again.

3. How long does it take for sugar to cause tooth decay?

According to Pollick, "the sugar has to be eliminated from the tongue within 20 minutes if you drink all day." As you chew, the bacteria on your teeth are getting busy, converting the sugar into acid." However, the acid on your teeth is "kind of" neutralized after 20 minutes.

4. How can I eat chocolate without hurting my teeth?

Continue to brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste to preserve good dental health – and wait at least 30 minutes after having chocolate before brushing your teeth. When your enamel is loosened by the acids in your mouth, this allows it to re-harden and protect your teeth.

5. Are sugar-free sweets bad for teeth?

Despite the fact that sugar-free candy does not induce tooth decay in the same manner that typical candy does, it can still lead to tooth decay. The majority of sugar-free candies contain high levels of acid, which is a significant cause of cavities and tooth damage in both children and adults. In our teeth, acid tears away the enamel, causing erosion and decay that is permanent in nature.

6. Does rinsing with water remove sugar?

By removing leftover food and sugar as well as roughly 30% of the oral bacteria that can harm your enamel when mixed with acid from your mouth and caused by brushing, rinsing with water preserves your enamel.

7. Should I use mouthwash after eating sweets?

Use mouthwash with PH neutralization. Even if the food you consumed wasn't extremely acidic, within a few minutes of beginning to eat, the bacteria in your mouth will begin to transform the sugars and starches into acid. These acids are slightly neutralized by using an alkaline mouthwash with a high PH.

8. What is the best time to brush your teeth?

The best approach to be sure you're protecting your teeth and not damaging your enamel is to wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating before brushing your teeth. The American Dental Association advises not brushing for 60 minutes after eating, especially if you just consumed something acidic.

9. Can you get cavities if you don't eat sugar?

You may believe to yourself that since sugar can cause cavities, your oral health would be ideal as long as you stay away from sweets. While avoiding sugar is undoubtedly a good idea if you want to keep your teeth healthy, it won't fully eliminate decay from developing.