With another sweet holiday upon us – Valentine’s Day – it’s time to start talking about candy and its impact on teeth. Too much of it over an extended period of time can do some real damage to your oral health – especially if you’re not a thorough tooth-brusher. That’s why the experts are now saying it’s better to gorge in one sitting.
Why?
One giant sitting does less damage to teeth and leads to fewer potential cavities than a small ration every couple of hours and days.
Also see: Energy Bars and Cavities
The likelihood of cavities becoming a problem in our mouths depends on the pH balance – the more acidic it is, the worse for teeth. Eating carbohydrates (sweets are full of carbs) makes the environment more acidic. It can take over an hour for acidity levels to go back to normal.
If you ration out the candy for every couple of hours in one day, for example, your pH balance could be acidic for several accumulated hours. However, gorge yourself, and the undesirable oral acidic environment time will be much shorter.
Also see: 5 Facts You Didn’t Know about Cavities
So, I say eat sweets this Valentine’s Day – but don’t go overboard on your daily indulgence.
