5 Foods You Should Avoid During the Holidays to Protect Your Teeth!

The holidays are here! While this can be such a great time of year that is filled with celebrations, friends, family and food, the holidays can often take a toll on your teeth. Considering that many of us travel, have extra-long nights or simply forget to tend to our oral care needs, many patients will visit our Pasadena office in the New Year to get their dental needs back on track.

Even though we do love seeing you at our dental office, we have a few food choices you should avoid this holiday season in order to ensure that your smile stays healthy and bright, well into the New Year:

1. Limit acids: This goes for food and drinks. Juices, cocktails and candy usually fall into this category. Strong acids in these types of foods and beverages can cause enamel erosion and tooth decay. Don’t know if it has acids? Food choices that can stain your teeth are usually a good indicator that it has acid.
2. Stay away from red wine! We know. It’s tasty and is often a beverage that hosts choose to serve at dinner parties. However, because it has such a deep color, it can stain your teeth. If you must, keep a glass of water nearby or brush your teeth after finishing your glass.
3. Say no to sugar: By sugar, we mean candy…even those after dinner mints. This can prolong exposure of harmful substances that can severely damage teeth.
4. Soda: You were probably expecting this. All brands and colors of soda are harmful to your teeth and should be avoided at all costs. Opt for a glass of water instead and keep yourself hydrated for extra pearly whites.
5. Dried fruit: As a before dinner favorite, dried fruits are sticky, chewy and can easily attached to teeth and stay there. This is why we stress brushing AND flossing to make sure that all food particles are cleaned away.

Whatever you do this holiday season, we hope that you enjoy them. Spend time with friends and family, relax and have fun! Yes, we do want you to take care of your teeth and recommend sticking to our guidelines, but this also does not mean items on our list our completely off limits. Moderation is key.

From our dental family to yours, we wish you happy holidays and a New Year full of health and prosperity!

Location: 1060 E Green St #203, Pasadena, CA 91106