Too much chocolate can wear down our tooth enamel, causing erosion and decay.
Starting from the day I could chew, I loved chocolates. Despite frequent protests from my parents and older relatives, I used to eat chocolate almost non-stop if I can get my hands on them.
That was most likely why I ended up with decayed teeth and cavities on most of my baby teeth. But after my baby teeth came out, I think I came to a realization that maybe chocolates aren’t so friendly after all. But are chocolates really as much of a bad guy as we lead the younger ones to think?
Should you enjoy or skip the chocolate?
The truth is, it’s not a very bad guy at all. Chocolate is even recommended to be consumed every day! Chocolate has enough sugar to be processed into energy to get us going on our daily routines.
A recent study even showed that people who ate enough chocolate has reduced insulin resistance and improved liver enzymes as well as a handful of vitamins and minerals our body needs. And for ladies out there wondering why you’re addicted to chocolate during your time of the month, it’s because chocolate releases serotonin in our body, which is a pleasure hormone that greatly decreases during that period of time.
Dark chocolate has a handful of health benefits as well, like lowering risks of heart issues, rich in antioxidants and can even improve skin health and brain function. Imagine all that on top of spoiling our tastebuds with its chocolatey goodness and sweetness.
Why is chocolate perceived to be a bad guy especially when it comes to our dental health?
It’s because of our uncontrolled moderation of consumption. In simple words, we eat too much when we only need a little amount to get us through the day. Too much chocolate can wear down our teeth’s enamel, causing erosion and decay.
It can also cause us to have too much unused sugar, which in turn is stored into fats. Chocolate also has caffeine, which can cause insomnia, nervousness, and tachycardia (extremely fast heart rate during rest).
So what is the lesson to be learned here? Chocolate isn’t the biggest, nor the worst, enemy a dentist can have, as long as you know how to control how much of it you eat. Remember, too much of anything is bad, no matter how good it is. So teach your kids, and yourselves, to eat chocolates in moderation so you can enjoy it without causing you problems.
Contact our Calgary dentists about your oral health and what you should avoid.
From your greeter with the “sweet” smile.
By Jenny Bunda, Greeter