Apple Valley, MN, USA -- The holiday season is the time to get together with family and friends, and usually revolves around sharing a meal, meeting up for coffee, or gathering at a holiday party. While it's a great time of year, it can be a tough season on your teeth. While some sugary treats are well-known culprits, Dakota Dental (http://www.dakotadental.com) shares some lesser-known foods that can damage teeth - so when visiting family and friends this holiday season, be sure to avoid or limit these damaging foods.

On the snack trays:
- Apples. Even though apples are a nutritious snack, they are high in acid, which eats away at enamel.
- Pickles. Since the brine is made with vinegar, and oftentimes sugar too, pickles and other pickled vegetables can cause damage to the enamel.

At the dinner table:
- Bread buns, especially white bread. Processed breads have sugar, and can also get stuck in your teeth - keeping all that sugar in your mouth even longer.
- Salad dressings. Many salad dressings contain both acid and sugar, which can break down enamel.

Snacking with friends:
- Diet sodas. Even though diet sodas don't have sugar, they are extremely high in acid, making this one of the worst products for your teeth.
- Popcorn. Popcorn is notorious for getting stuck between teeth, and trapping and cultivating bacteria because of it. Make sure to have floss handy!
- Hard candies. Yes, they have sugar, but hard candies are especially troublesome because they stay in the mouth longer than other foods.

What makes these foods so tough on your teeth? The two main culprits that attack teeth are sugar and acid. Sugar feeds the bacteria in our mouths, and bacteria produces lactic acid, which erodes teeth enamel. And acidic foods and drinks break down enamel directly.

For healthy teeth and a perfect smile, limit the damage these foods make. The Apple Valley dentists at Dakota Dental can not only help with general dental services during your regular checkups, but they can also talk about more tips and tricks for taking care of your teeth. Dakota Dental is happy to help their patients on all of your dental health issues. Contact Dakota Dental today.

Media Contact:
Dr. Shelley Wakefield
Dakota Dental
14682 Pennock Avenue
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952-431-5774
[email protected]
http://www.dakotadental.com