Sugar-Free Candy: Danger for your mouth!

Sugar-free treats seem to have grown exponentially in recent years. Calorie-conscious people, diabetics, and those looking to cut a few extra calories have all jumped on the bandwagon.

There has been some controversy surrounding the effectiveness for sugar-free treats for those who want to watch their waistline. However, the concern I want to address is: tooth decay. The popular thought is that sugar = bad. No sugar = good. Right?

Wrong.

According to Dr. Sok-Ja Janket, profession at Boston University in the School of Dental Medicine, sugar-free candies may be hard on your teeth. His findings indicate that both sour and fruit flavorings in candy may interact with the sugar-free sweeteners to cause additional acid inside the oral cavity.

The result? Weakened enamel and yellow-stained teeth.

The biggest offenders are the hard candies, because they take time to slowly dissolve, exposing your teeth to the acidic reaction for longer periods of time.
The exception to this rule would be the sugar-free chewing gums. They are the least concerning because they stimulate saliva production and swallowing, which assist in removing harmful acids that wear down teeth. Another candy on the not-so-bad list is any candy that contains flavoring from the mint family, or butterscotch candies. Those seem to minimize the effects because they, primarily, don’t contain any fruit flavorings to interact with the artificial sweeteners.

If you have any concerns about your oral health, I encourage you to call Barotz Dental today! We offer free consultations so you can come in, see what our office has to offer, meet the doctor, and get an estimate for treatment.

Call us at 303-595-4994!