When the holidays approach, everyone looks forward to seeing their family and lots of people look forward to the holiday food! You might throw caution to the wind and indulge in every delicious treat, or worry about eating so much unhealthy food, but have you considered the damage these holiday foods might be doing to your teeth? There are four traditional holiday foods that are harmful to your teeth; holiday drinks, fruitcake, cranberry sauce, and peppermint bark.

Holiday Drinks

As you walk into a festive Christmas party, you might find yourself being offered some enticing holiday beverage, perhaps eggnog, punch, or a traditional holiday wine. Drinks like these might add to the holiday fun for you, but the damage they do is a lot less fun for your teeth. These drinks might seem harmless, but they pose hidden dangers to your dental health. There are a wonderful array of fun drink options for the holidays, yet most of them fall into one or more of three problematic categories: sugary, acidic, or alcoholic.

Everyone knows that sugar is bad for your teeth, but too often we forget to avoid it in what we drink. Soda is full of sugar, more sugar than doctors recommend you drink in an entire day. A single can of Coke, for example, holds 39 grams of sugar, which already surpasses the 25-gram recommendation. Soda isn’t the only culprit when it comes to dangerous sugar levels. Eggnog, which has been beloved as a holiday tradition since its invention in the United Kingdom during the medieval period, is extremely sugary, with over 20 grams of sugar hiding in only a ¼ cup serving.

Another place to carefully search for added sugar is that innocent-looking bottle of fruit juice, which might seem healthy but contains lots of added sugar. Although fruit in its natural form won’t harm your teeth, fruit juice is essentially sugar because it is stripped of its fiber and nutrients. A second danger in fruit juice is its citric acid content. Juices like orange, lemon, lime, and tomato are all high in citric acid, which softens your enamel. When citric acid softens your enamel, your teeth are more vulnerable to cavities. You may also experience increased sensitivity to cold and heat. According to Dr. Rocio Quinonez, professor of pediatric dentistry, “our teeth begin to break down when the acid level in the mouth dips below a pH of 5.5.”

Most sodas have a pH of 3 to 4, and some fruit juices have a pH of as low as 2! When you drink soda or fruit juice, the bacteria in your mouth consume the sugar and secretes acid, which erodes your teeth and increases your risk for cavities and fractures.

Unfortunately, diet sodas and juices with no added sugars aren’t significantly better for your teeth. Although they might not contain added sugars, they are still acidic and will cause demineralization and corrosion. So next time you reach for a soda, remember the risk to your teeth!

The third danger hidden in holiday drinks is alcohol. Alcohol can be very corrosive to your teeth and becomes a double threat to your dental health when it’s mixed with soda or syrup. Aside from its corrosiveness, alcohol is also very dehydrating. The saliva in your mouth keeps your teeth moist and fights bacteria. When you drink alcohol, the alcohol inhibits saliva production and dries out your mouth. Drinking too much alcohol can also create excess bacteria in your mouth, which causes tooth decay, bad breath, and pain. Professor Michael Escudier warns that excessive alcohol consumption carries significant risks to oral health, including tooth decay, dental erosion and accidental dental trauma. Alcohol is also the second biggest risk factor in the development of oral cancer.

Now, if these facts are making you dread having to drink only water at the next party, keep these tips in mind if you still want to enjoy your favorite drink.

If you exercise moderation, you can still enjoy your favorite soda, just make sure to drink a smaller serving. You can drink soda and fruit juice through a straw, which will lessen contact time with your teeth, giving the sugar and acid less time to do any damage. Alcohol in moderation isn’t harmful to your teeth, but always remember to brush your teeth after drinking. Try to opt for options like red wine, which is antibacterial, and will defend against bacteria and acid, so your enamel is protected. Drink water to stay hydrated. And try to avoid sipping drinks slowly, as this keeps the acid or sugar on your teeth much longer.

Fruitcake

Does anyone actually like fruitcake? Fruitcake is a classic Christmas treat but seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years. Perhaps no one will be disappointed by the news: fruitcake is terrible for your teeth.

Though in modern times it’s been relegated to a holiday dessert, fruitcake originally was created by Roman soldiers. Called “satura”, this dense cake was stuffed with nuts and fruit, and eaten to fuel Roman soldiers on long marches and before battles. This early fruitcake provided the Romans with lots of energy, because it was exceptionally dense in carbohydrates. It also contained lots of sugar! So, if you happen to be a centurion in need of enough carbs to fight a battle, then fruitcake might be a good choice for you. But for the rest of us, fruitcake isn’t the best option.

Here’s why: fruitcake is composed primarily of flour, sugar, and preserved fruits. All three of these ingredients accelerate bacteria growth on your teeth.

Bacteria develops on your teeth when three conditions are met. First, there must be a susceptible tooth surface. Second, there must be cariogenic bacteria. Last, there must be a fermentable carbohydrate source. The carbohydrate breaks down into simple sugars, which gives your body the energy it needs, but creates bacteria on your teeth.

What makes fruitcake a particular risk to your teeth, though, is its stickiness. Sticky foods don’t just cling to your hands and clothes, they stick to your teeth. Several studies have identified stickiness as a major factor in the creation of cavities. According to the National Library of Medicine, “the adhesiveness of food is directly related to its cariogenic potential. If the form of sugar has a great tendency to adhere to dental surfaces, the risk of caries increases.” The stickier the food is, the higher the likelihood of cavities.

When a sticky substance full of carbs and sugar is consumed, the carbohydrates begin to ferment and your enamel is demineralized by the resulting bacteria. This creates an acidic environment in your mouth, due to eating carbohydrates. “More specifically, there is a rapid fall in pH (to 5.5 or below) in tooth biofilm after carbohydrates are ingested,” writes the American Dental Association. “This lower pH can also affect the balance of microbes in the biofilm such that there is a higher proportion of acidic biofilm species, compounding tooth demineralization. Carbohydrate consumption is therefore an important nutritional factor in the development of caries.” Carbohydrates create acidic bacteria, which attacks your enamel

So the next time you’re gifted fruitcake, remember the carbohydrates and sugars. You might have to pass up the holiday tradition of eating fruitcake, but perhaps consider participating in a local fruitcake toss?

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is a staple at holiday dinners. But did you know that this classic tangy side has a secret superpower?

Cranberries are a superfood, boasting more antioxidants than any other berry except blueberries. Antioxidants are critical disease-fighting powerhouses, repairing your body’s damage from stress and protecting you from diseases like cancer. The benefits don’t stop there; studies show that your teeth love cranberries too- cranberry polyphenols can help prevent periodontitis. The antioxidants that cranberries contain also significantly inhibit the bacteria that causes cavities. This bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, produces drastically less acid when treated with cranberry polyphenols.

Cranberries in their natural form are one of the most beneficial berries for your health. But here’s the catch: “in their natural form”. When minimally processed, cranberries retain all their natural nutrients and are a great choice for your dental health. The cranberry sauce most people serve at Thanksgiving, however, is a very different matter.

Before canned cranberry sauce is manufactured, the berries are often frozen, losing essential nutrients in the process. If you look at the label on a can of cranberry sauce, you’ll notice a zero next to every nutritional value on the label, except for sugar: 24 grams. That’s almost 6 teaspoons of sugar! Cranberries in their natural form are particularly tart, so sugar is added to the product to make it sweet. This results in a sweet-tart spread that tastes good but is essentially nutritionally void, and filled with processed sugars. All this sugar leads to an acidic buildup of bacteria in the mouth.

Cavities begin to form when the demineralization of your teeth’s enamel starts to exceed their demineralization capacity. This causes a decline in your mouth’s pH balance, and scientists hypothesize that this occurs at 5.5, known as the critical pH. This process occurs whenever carbohydrates and sugars are consumed, especially substances with a very low pH. Cranberries have a pH of 2.3! When combined with sugar, this makes them a danger to your enamel. Cranberry sauce is sticky and full of sugar, so stick to real cranberries for the health perks.

If you love cranberry sauce, consider making your own from scratch, and prepare this delicious holiday sauce with fresh ingredients for a less-sugary sauce with all the benefits of fresh cranberries.

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint bark is a sweet treat most of us only taste during the holidays, created from two layers of chocolate flavored with peppermint, and topped with crushed candy canes. Given this

amazing flavor combination, it’s not surprising that 39% of Americans say it’s their favorite holiday candy. December 1st has even been christened National Peppermint Bark Day! However, before you open that first tin of peppermint bark, let’s look at what peppermint bark actually does to your teeth.

Peppermint bark is sugary sweet and rock-hard. This creates two dangers for your teeth: cavities and chipping. Just like the other holiday foods already discussed, peppermint bark is exceedingly sugary, with sugar heading the ingredients list. It’s very sticky, which may cause cavities but also is likely to dislodge fillings or other dental work. Peppermint bark may stick to your teeth even after casual brushing, making it easy for the bacteria to weaken your enamel and develop cavities.

We tend to think of teeth as tough and nearly indestructible, but they are not as strong as you might think! Chewing on hard candy can weaken your teeth, and incrementally lead to tiny fissures. At first, you might not realize the damage, but biting into hard candy like peppermint bark over time can create extreme pain and sensitivity as a result of little cracks and chips in your teeth. Hard candy can crack teeth but can also damage braces, dentures, crowns, and even dental implants. To best protect your teeth, consumption of peppermint bark should be minimized but if you’re determined to eat it, look for a softer or sugar-free substitute.

Prioritizing your oral health doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun or treat yourself during the holidays, it just means that you need to make intentional choices and keep up with your dental hygiene routine. Avoid foods that are sugary and sticky, and remember to brush your teeth 30 minutes after consuming anything that might damage your enamel. No holiday drink or dessert is likely to significantly damage your teeth if eaten once, so it’s okay to have something in moderation.

 

Remember that at the end of the day, the holidays are about a lot more than food. So whether you choose to eat or avoid these holiday foods, focus on friends and family, not fruitcake.