It’s Not Just Candy: 4 Surprising Foods That Will Give You Cavities

Green Dental reveals which foods are surprisingly bad for your oral health Every year Halloween rolls around and parents across the country are met with conflicting feelings. It is great fun for the kids: they get to dress up, go door-to-door, and check off one of those Hallmark moments necessary for a good childhood, like Christmas morning, Thanksgiving dinner, a trip to Disney World, etc.

But parents are also painfully aware that the great fun represented by a sack full of candy will bring with it great expense and mild trauma at the dentist’s office. Yes, all that sugar will rot their children’s teeth.

Moms and dads of the world (and everyone else, for that matter) should be aware, though, that candy is not the only cavity-causing culprit. Let’s go over 5 foods that may surprise you with how much they contribute to the development of cavities:

1. Saltines

Saltine crackers don’t strike most people as a particularly healthy snack, but we’re willing to bet you didn’t think it was worse for your teeth than candy. Well, it’s true.

The reason that sugar is so bad for your teeth is that bacteria naturally present in your mouth go crazy for sugar. This results in the bacteria balance getting thrown out of whack, which damages your enamel and makes your breath stink. Bacteria go even crazier for the processed starches that make up saltines.

2. Raisins

As far as sugar content goes, a box of raisins can go toe-to-toe with any candy bar or can of soda. What makes raisins even worse is that they get stuck in your teeth, so the sugar lingers in your mouth and does even more damage.

3. Cough Syrup

There is so much sugar in cough syrup that diabetics have to be careful not to give themselves a dangerous spike in their blood sugar levels with the stuff. Also, before you pump your kids full of this sugary syrup, you should know that there is no definite proof that over-the-counter cough medicines are actually effective at treating coughs.

4. Alcoholic Beverages

Hey, parents get cavities too… our last entry to this list is the first that isn’t bad for your teeth because of starch or sugar, although beer has starch to spare and liquor is other mixed with something sugary. The worst oral health aspect of consuming amount of alcohol is that it gives you a dry mouth.

Saliva doesn’t have the best reputation, but you should be grateful you have it. Without it, bacteria grow much more effectively in your mouth and your teeth are more likely to get cavities.

Before you freak out, please know we’re not advocating that you never eat bread, drink beer, or consume any of the other items on this list. Sure, it’s not ideal for your oral health, but we all have to be pragmatic here and accept that sometimes you are going to eat something that tastes good without caring what it may do to your enamel.

When you do eat these cavity-causing foods, please do so in moderation, and always brush your teeth afterwards. Your dentist in Broomfield CO will thank you.

Be honest: were you surprised by any of the items on our list? Was there any glaring omission that you believe we should have included? Let us know in the comments below.

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