Holiday Treats You May Want Your Children to Avoid

Holiday Treats that Could Lead to Cavities

It is no secret the holiday season is the one time of year when we are almost expected to overindulge in treats – there tends to be a lot of everything, from gifts, to food, to even the sweetest and most delicious of desserts. Although it may seem okay to indulge your cravings this time of year, it is important to remember they can wreak havoc on oral health, especially the oral health of children. Here are some holiday treats you may want to consider having your children avoid this year.

Cookies

Christmas cookies are a favorite among children and adults alike, and there always seems to be baked goods around wherever we decide to travel for the holidays. However, cookies, cakes, and other items are filled with sugar and can do a lot of damage to children’s teeth. While skipping Christmas cookies altogether may not be possible, make sure to limit the sweets your children enjoys this season.

Candy Canes

Candy canes are not only a famous Christmas treat but also used by a lot of families to decorate their Christmas tree. Candy canes, although delicious, usually are kept in children’s mouths for an extended period of time, giving the sugars a longer time to sit on the teeth and cause decay. Additionally, there is always the temptation to bite the hard candy, which could cause actual damage to the teeth.

Caramel

Caramel is delicious and a lot of people make homemade caramel during the holidays. While grandma’s homemade candy is great, it is also filled with an outrageous amount of sugar and can easily stick to and between the teeth. Since caramel sticks to the teeth so easily, it is harder for saliva to break it down, making it is easy for the sticky stuff to cause tooth decay and cavities that can ruin teeth.

Fruitcake

Even though fruitcake is often given as a “gag” gift around the holiday season, there are some people and children who really enjoy the flavor of fruitcake. Fruitcake can be dense and very sweet, which means it is full of sugar that can be damaging to the teeth. Additionally, the candied fruits inside the cake can sometimes be hard, making it hard on the teeth to bite into them and chew, especially for children’s teeth.

Almost every holiday dessert has one ingredient in common – sugar. Sugar is very bad for oral health and when it isn’t brushed away immediately after eating, it can stay on the teeth and cause decay and cavities. Children, especially, should have sweet holiday treats in moderation to protect their smile.

If your children typically overindulge during the holidays, it may be time for a trip to the dentist. If you need coverage before going, consider using the Wellness Dental Plan, a New Hampshire discount family dental plan that can save you as much as 20 percent of your dental visits. For more information, please click here.

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