Eating Hard Candies & Breath Mints by Dentist Springfield MO (2024)

FAQs

How many mints of candy can you eat in a day? ›

According to the American Dental Association, peppermint candy's sugar content is a risk to oral health; three pieces of peppermint candy have approximately 15 grams or one tablespoon of sugar. Eating these three pieces with other sugar sources for a day makes them excessive.

Because breath mints only temporarily help with bad breath, many people are tempted to have multiple mints, which can lead to prolonged exposure to the sugar in the mints. This prolonged exposure to the sugar found in mints ends up feeding the bacteria in your mouth, which can cause cavities & tooth decay.

Therefore, the best way to eliminate bad breath is to eliminate the offending microbes through a combination of brushing, flossing, and regular professional dental cleanings. Breath mints are not the solution to bad breath or halitosis. They merely cover up the odors and do not fix the underlying causes.

Many products also contain protein from gelatin, another primary bacteria food. For these reasons, even the strongest-flavored mints are unlikely to do more than mask the odor, which is why many dental professionals recommend chewing sugarless gum instead of breath mints.

They won't notice if you eat one or two. Or two or three. But before you dive in, remember that you shouldn't get more than 10% of your daily calories from added sugar -- that's around 200 if you typically aim for 2,000 a day -- and candy is loaded with it.

For most kids, it is about 1 to 3 miniature or fun-size pieces of candy. Discuss with your child the importance of limiting candy. Talk about practical ways that he can make healthy choices. Talk with your children about donating some of their candy to senior centers or organizations serving those in need.

Digestive Issues: Peppermint is known to relax the muscles in the digestive tract, which can lead to symptoms such as heartburn, indigestion, and stomach upset. Consuming large amounts of peppermint candy could exacerbate these issues and lead to discomfort.

Mint is a popular herb that may possess potential health benefits. This may include helping with digestive health, reducing allergic symptoms, and soothing common cold symptoms. Mint or mentha belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which contains around 15–20 plant species, including peppermint and spearmint.

Peppermint can relax the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus, allowing stomach acids to flow back into the esophagus. (The sphincter is the muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach.) By relaxing the sphincter, peppermint may actually worsen the symptoms of heartburn and indigestion.

Peppersmith makes their breath mints with the natural sweetener xylitol, a naturally occurring alcohol that's found in many fruits and vegetables (though it's not recommended for consumption in large amounts). As the main active ingredient in these breath mints, it helps to reduce gum damage and tooth decay.

Do breath mints have a laxative effect? ›

Lots of mints have high sugar content, which can get fermented in your small bowel, and can be the cause of your cramps and diarrhea. Also, many mints have sorbitol, which essentially turn them into laxatives if enough of them are consumed.

Sugar-Free Hard Candy

Similar to chewing gum, look for a candy with a pleasant scent, like mint or cinnamon, to mask bad breath while also stimulating saliva production and washing away bacteria.

While breath mints are handy to pop in your mouth, they do not benefit you in the long term. They contain sugar, which is detrimental to your teeth. After you consume a breath mint, the bacteria in your mouth eat that sugar off your teeth and excrete acids that penetrate and damage your enamel.

Another natural and easy way to freshen your breath is to simply have a crunchy snack, such as an apple, celery, or carrot. These fruits and vegetables act as natural toothbrushes and help to remove the odor causing bacteria stuck on your teeth. Also, they stimulate saliva production, which also helps fight bad breath.

For a quick method of freshening your breath, try some sugarless gum or candy. When you chew or gradually let the candy dissolve, your saliva production increases. Mint-flavored candies are known to mask bad smells. Cinnamon-flavored gum and candy may be able to actually reduce the bacteria level in your mouth.

What are the Best Choices for Gum and Mints? Of course, we dentists want you to only chew sugar-free gum or use sugar-free mints. Any added sugar is bad for your teeth. So the next time you are in the aisle at the grocery store, look for gum or mints that are sugar-free.