Have Your Dessert: A Dentist’s Guide to Sweets

Yes, you can have your dessert. Dentists generally agree that when you eat sweets, how often you eat them and what kind you choose matter more than whether you ever eat them at all. Dessert right after a meal is easier on your teeth than the same treat as a snack hours later, because saliva is already flowing to rinse away sugar and neutralize acid. Sweets that melt away quickly are gentler than sticky candies or hard candies you hold in your mouth for a long time.

This guide explains why timing matters, which desserts are kinder to teeth and gums, how to enjoy sweets when you have dental work or gum problems, and how the Timonium office of Dr. Steven W. Haywood, DDS helps keep a sweet tooth from turning into a cavity.

What dentists want you to know about dessert

Sugar itself doesn’t damage teeth directly. The bacteria in plaque feed on it and produce acid, and that acid pulls minerals out of your enamel. Each time you eat something sweet, your teeth go through a period of acid attack before saliva brings conditions back to normal.

That leads to three simple principles:

• Frequency matters. Five small sweet snacks through the day create five acid attacks. One dessert after dinner creates one.
• Contact time matters. The longer sugar stays on your teeth, the longer acid keeps working.
• Your mouth’s condition matters. A mouth with plenty of saliva, little plaque and healthy gums handles sugar far better.

Why dessert after a meal is better

Saliva is already working

Eating a meal increases saliva production. Saliva helps rinse food particles from your mouth and neutralize the acids that plaque bacteria produce, so sweets eaten right after a meal meet a mouth that is already set up to clean itself.

Snacking keeps the attack going

Sweets eaten between meals, especially grazed on over an afternoon, keep your teeth under repeated acid attack with little time to recover. If you are going to have something sweet, having it with or right after a meal is the smarter choice.

Which desserts are easier on your teeth?

Gentler choices

• Desserts that melt or wash away quickly, such as plain chocolate or ice cream, rather than sticky candy
• Desserts eaten in one sitting rather than nibbled over time
• Smaller portions of rich treats, which satisfy with less sugar contact

Harder on teeth

• Sticky and chewy sweets, such as caramels, taffy and gummies, which cling to teeth and stay there even when saliva is flowing
• Hard candies and lollipops with sugar, which bathe the teeth in sugar for as long as they last
• Sour candies, which add acid on top of sugar
• Sweet drinks sipped slowly, which work the same way as grazing. See why soda spells double trouble.

If sweets make your teeth hurt, that is a separate warning sign worth checking; read why gummy bears hurt your teeth.

Sweets and your gums

Dessert isn’t only a cavity question. Frequent sugar supports more plaque, and plaque along the gumline is the main cause of gum disease. If your gums already bleed, look puffy or have been treated for gum disease, cutting back on frequent sugar is one of the easiest ways to help them. Read the five warning signs of gum disease and how to keep gum disease from coming back.

Dessert tips that protect your smile

1. Have sweets with meals, not as a separate snack.
2. Drink water with dessert and rinse afterward to wash sugar away.
3. Choose treats you can finish quickly over ones that linger.
4. Try xylitol. The practice offers xylitol mints and lollipops, which help reduce decay risk.
5. Clean your teeth before bed. Saliva slows during sleep, so sugar left on teeth overnight has more time to do damage.
6. Clean between your teeth every day. Sugar and plaque collect where a toothbrush can’t reach.
7. Save the chewy candy for rare occasions, especially if you have fillings, crowns or bridges.

Dessert when you have dental work or healing gums

Temporary crowns and bridges

If you have a temporary crown or bridge, avoid sticky foods such as caramel and chewing gum, which can pull the temporary off before your permanent restoration is placed.

After a deep cleaning

After scaling and root planing, avoid hard, crunchy or sticky foods for one week if an antibiotic was placed in a gum pocket. Your gums may be sore and sensitive, so soft desserts are a better choice while they heal.

Implants and bridges

Food can collect under dental bridges, and you will need a floss threader or similar aid to clean underneath. After any sweet treat, take a moment to clean around your dental work.

Sweets and children

Children love dessert, and the same rules help them: sweets with meals, water to drink, teeth cleaned before bed, and sticky candy kept to a minimum. Super sealants can help protect the chewing surfaces of children’s teeth, and the practice offers a lifetime warranty. For more ideas, read how to prevent cavities in children.

How the practice helps protect a sweet tooth

• Hour-long cleanings. Cleaning appointments are a full 60 minutes, removing plaque and tartar that home care misses.
• Early decay detection. DIAGNOdent can detect small amounts of decay at the earliest stages, sometimes before it shows on an X-ray.
• Enamel support without fluoride. For anyone who prefers to avoid fluoride, the practice offers calcium rebuilding treatments to help strengthen enamel for patients of all ages.
• Gum checks. The hygienists check your gums with careful measurements, and 98 percent of the practice’s periodontal therapy is non-surgical if treatment is needed.
• Tooth-colored fillings. If a cavity does form, it is filled with mercury-free composite matched to your teeth in a single visit.

See dental cleanings and preventive care for more.

Paying for your care

The practice is out of network with all dental insurance providers. You pay at the time of your visit, and the office files the claim on your behalf so your plan can reimburse you for whatever it covers. Health savings and flex plans are welcome, and financing is available through CareCredit, with no-interest options for up to 12 months, and Cherry, with plans from 3 to 24 months. See financing options.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to eat dessert with a meal or as a snack?

With a meal. Saliva flow is already increased while you eat, which helps rinse away sugar and neutralize acid. Snacking on sweets between meals keeps teeth under repeated acid attack.

What is the worst kind of dessert for teeth?

Sticky, chewy candy and sugary hard candy are among the hardest on teeth, because they keep sugar in contact with your enamel for a long time. Sour candy adds acid as well.

Should I brush right after dessert?

Rinsing with water right away is a good habit. Brushing and cleaning between your teeth before bed matters most, so sugar isn’t left on your teeth overnight.

Can sweets cause gum disease?

Sweets don’t cause gum disease by themselves, but frequent sugar feeds plaque, and plaque is the main cause of gum inflammation. Good daily cleaning and regular professional care help keep that in check.

Enjoy dessert and a healthy smile in Timonium

A sweet tooth doesn’t have to cost you your smile. Regular checkups catch small problems before they grow. Request an appointment or call (410) 453-9399. The office of Dr. Steven W. Haywood, DDS is at 108 W Timonium Rd, Ste 200, Timonium, MD 21093, serving Timonium, Towson, Pikesville, Baltimore and the surrounding communities. Learn more about gum disease treatment in Timonium.