Seemingly Healthy Snacks to Avoid for Better Oral Health Posted on 9/10/2019 by Sundberg Office There are a lot of foods out there that many people think are very healthy. Some of them are, but some of them aren't that great for your oral health or even your overall physical health. Some of these foods have always been considered healthy, while others may have become one of the new health trends in recent years. No matter what caused the myth that these foods are healthy, they aren't great for your oral health. Here are some of these snacks you need to avoid.
Dried Fruits
Fruits are healthy, right? Therefore, dried fruits should be healthy, too. If you're going through a bag of dried fruits and feeling good about your healthy snack, we have some bad news for you. Most dried fruits have a lot of sugar in them. In fact, some of them have more than 25 grams of sugar per serving! They also tend to have a lot of preservatives in them, too. All that sugar will lead to cavities and can promote gum disease, so always look at the packaging before you eat dried fruits.
Some Trail Mixes
Many people see the nuts, raisins, and other healthy things in trail mix and believe it's perfectly fine for your teeth and gums. Unfortunately, many trail mixes include candies such as M&Ms and other unhealthy, sugar-filled things. This isn't true for every trail mix, though, so be sure you look at the ingredients. Don't worry if you see dark chocolate, though. While it does contain sugar, it also has a number of other health benefits. Just look for a trail mix that has a little bit of fairly dark chocolate, not a whole lot.
Juice
Most juices have a lot of extra sugar in them, which is going to damage your teeth. Any juice made from acidic fruits such as oranges is also very bad for your oral health. The acids in these juices can damage the enamel on your teeth, leaving them unprotected from bacteria. Want to know more about snacks that seem healthy but aren't? Come in to discuss what you should be eating with one of our oral health experts.