Desserts are portrayed as a dentist’s enemy number one. To keep teeth healthy, people are advised to stay away from desserts and opt for fruits or milk instead.
Not all desserts, however, are bad for your teeth. Sugar-rich creations like cotton candy, commercial ice cream, and dense cakes filled with frosting will indeed cause damage on your pearly whites, but those that do not contain much sugar are perfectly alright after a meal. Here are four desserts that keep emergency dental services and oral woes at bay.
Specialty Cheeses
Cheese cleanses the palate and gives you a fresh boost of flavor to finish the mealtime. There are several kinds of dessert cheese you can serve, including aged gouda, fontina, mascarpone, Emmentaler, pecorino, and even fresh ricotta. On top of being a sweet treat, cheeses protect the enamel, the hard covering of the teeth, from erosion caused by the coffee and soda you drink. Not only is it tooth-friendlier, but a wedge of cheese also actively works to strengthen your teeth.
Frozen Fruit Ice Cream
The ice cream you buy from the supermarket is rich in sugar, which is why it is bad for your oral health. On the other hand, homemade frozen fruit ice cream is just as delicious, without the negative effects of commercial ice cream. This is because it doesn’t contain any additional sugar that could cause cavities.
Try it for yourself — freeze banana chunks overnight or for at least 12 hours. Then, place the frozen banana chunks in a blender together with fresh strawberries (chilled, ideally) and blend them until smooth and creamy. This produces a texture that resembles sorbet. The more berries you add, the more sorbet-like it will become. The more bananas you add, the creamier it will be. You can add a little milk for more richness.
Fruit Parfait
Yogurt contains a lot of calcium, which strengthens the protective layers of the teeth. That’s why when yogurt is the base of a dessert, it is not as harmful to your pearly whites.
One of the best yogurt-based desserts is parfait. Try it for yourself: chop up some pears and roast them in a little cinnamon and butter for about 25 minutes. Then, layer them with Greek yogurt or any yogurt that doesn’t have added sugar or sweetener.
Dark Chocolate
Not all kinds of chocolate are bad for the teeth; dark chocolate is an exception. It has a higher amount of cocoa and consequently, less sugar and milk solids. It is usually 70% cocoa, in contrast with some milk chocolate bars which only contain 10% cocoa.
It is a healthier alternative to other chocolate-based desserts. In fact, dark chocolate is a good source of polyphenols, which are natural chemicals that limit the growth of oral bacteria. It also has the ability to neutralize microorganisms that cause bad breath.
Desserts do not have to be painful on your teeth. There are many sweet treats that won’t wreak havoc on your pearly whites. By switching to these kinds of desserts, you’ll be able to keep your teeth longer and enjoy more mealtimes.
