Chocolate – Is it good for your teeth and health? As much as we would love to say it is good for your teeth, especially at Easter, we have to say it isn’t!
There are multiple variety of chocolate and chocolate products with varying degrees of sugar, hard additives such as nuts, extra had additives such as praline and sticky additives like toffee and nougat.
Dark chocolate usually has less sugar and more cocoa solids, than milk or white chocolate but it varies depending on the brand. Milk chocolate contains cocoa solids and more sugar, while white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk and is generally the sweetest chocolate. In a 100gm serving of chocolate you will find the following amount of sugar.
🍫 Dark Chocolate (70–85% cocoa) → 10–30g of sugar
🍫 Milk Chocolate → 40–50g of sugar
🍫 White Chocolate → 50–60g of sugar
Sugars are food to the decay causing bacteria in your mouth which leads to an acidic environment next to the enamel (often in between the teeth), and then this causes the enamel to leak calcium and phosphates. If this calcium and phosphate are not replaced from the saliva then a hole will develop. The ions will not be replaced if the acid environment persists through lack of cleaning on all surfaces of the tooth or if the saliva flow is low or not good quality.
On top of this is the sticky insides of some chocolates that tend to linger over surfaces of the teeth. Thinking of toffees or nougat or cream fillings that make their way into the nooks and crannies of teeth. Sigh! These often spend time on teeth creating a longer acidic environment that these bacteria love. And then there is the hard or extra hard additives. For all our patients, who have fillings or crowns these are the chocolates that will break teeth around fillings or porcelain! Best treat these with care. Plus, a tip – please don’t put chocolate in the fridge and then try to bite into it. It will break teeth!
“Everything in moderation” is a wonderful saying and we would love to follow that advice with chocolate of any kind. The Haigh’s store is across the road, Menz Fruchocs are available, Charlesworth Nuts is also close by and we do like to support South Australian business after all! Dr Stone is a Haigh’s dark chocolate fan. However, we do need to follow our scope of practice and remind all of the need for good oral hygiene regardless of your own chocolate preferences. Flossing, interproximal brushes such as piksters, and brushing with a fluoride toothpaste will help strengthen your enamel, reducing the harm done by chocolate. Regular dental and hygiene visits with regular dental xrays will also help us to fix something small or introduce a new oral care regime to assist you to keep your teeth as long as possible.
We wish you a wonderful Easter break with family and friends.
See you in the clinic! The Adelaide City Dental Care Team.
PS: check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps! Maybe even the latest video on YouTube. Our last team training day on Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice will be up there.
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