Popcorn: Good Or Bad For Your Smile?
You may have always lumped popcorn in with the category of foods and snacks that are perfectly safe for your smile health. However, you may be wondering lately if that’s actually true. When you visualize the stuff you make at home, it seems safe … but is it? In this case, like in many, our Saxonburg, PA team reminds you that it depends. Are you eating popcorn that you air-popped and that is free of sugar? Or, are you eating something oh-so-delicious out of a tin that’s covered in caramel, peanuts, and chocolate? Let’s sort through some factors, so you feel more confident about making choices!
On It’s Own: It Can Be Good!
As far as we are concerned, popcorn can be a healthy, safe snack for you and your smile health! Pop it up, eat it with a sprinkle of salt or perfectly plain, and enjoy!
Be Careful About Unpopped Seeds!
Then again, popcorn is okey dokey for your smile if it is completely popped and you remember to rinse one you’re done eating it. It can also pose quite a significant threat to your oral health, though, if you aren’t careful. Remember that popcorn is literally popped corn. Dry corn kernels pop and then you enjoy that explosion of white fluff. However, if the kernel doesn’t pop, you could end up accidentally biting down onto a hard seed, which can ultimately crack or break your tooth. Our suggestion: Don’t eat it in the dark (such as when you’re watching a movie) but instead, look at what you’re eating as you snack.
Sticky Or Sweet Topping Change Things
Plain popcorn that is fully popped? No biggie. However, when you’re enjoying specialty popcorn, such as the stuff that’s coated in sticky caramel, drizzled with chocolate, or coated in a candy coating, you’re exposing your teeth to sticky sugar that will certainly coat them. It encourages decay and it isn’t ideal for those with dental work. Skip this one!
Watch For Toffee, Nuts, Chips, And More
Popcorn that has been made to taste like toffee, that includes mixed nuts, or hard chocolate bits may taste quite amazing. However, it can pose a significant threat to your oral health because you could bite into something very hard at any moment, though you are expecting the easy give of a piece of popcorn. This is another time when you’ll want to keep a close eye on what you’re consuming!
See Our Team For Top Smile Protection
When your goal is to strive for exceptional smile protection through preventive dental care, remember that we are here! We offer advice, treatments, and answers to questions that help protect your oral health! Receive comprehensive, comfortable personalized dental care in Saxonburg, PA by contacting Saxonburg Dental Care today at (724) 352-4440.
