Is Chocolate Bad for My Teeth
Halloween is quickly approaching which means you will likely be consuming more chocolate and candy than usual. This may leave you wondering if chocolate is bad for your teeth. Learn more about chocolate and your oral health with this guide from Tim Loughran Dentistry.
Is Chocolate Bad?
Lucky for you (and us!), chocolate is not as bad as you may think! In fact, chocolate offers some surprising health benefits. Studies have shown that daily chocolate consumption can actually lead to improvements in overall brain cognition.
However, this still leaves us with the biggest question of them all: is chocolate bad for your teeth? The answer depends on the type of chocolate. There are some key differences between milk chocolate and dark chocolate that affect your oral health differently.
Milk Chocolate
While milk chocolate may be one of the most popular and widely consumed, it is not the best for your teeth. Why is that? It’s because milk chocolate has a higher sugar content than dark chocolate. In fact, milk chocolate is only 20-30% real cocoa, the rest consisting of sugar and powdered milk. Because of this, milk chocolate can lead to tooth decay and cavities.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a better choice than milk chocolate for your teeth. In fact, there are even studies showing that dark chocolate may help to fight cavities. Dark chocolate is a complex substance. It contains substances known as polyphenols that help to control bacteria. In addition, they help with bad breath and keep some acids that cause tooth decay from forming. Dark chocolate has other health benefits due to the antioxidants that it contains. Antioxidants are not only good for your oral health but your overall health as well.
Dental Care at Tim Loughran Dentistry
Overall, eating chocolate is not going to be incredibly detrimental to your oral health, as long as it is done in moderation. Especially if you maintain good dental hygiene by brushing and flossing regularly, treating yourself to a piece of chocolate is perfectly fine! For any dental-related questions, feel free to reach out and contact the professionals at Tim Loughran Dentistry.
