February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The National Children’s Dental Health Month is a…
Should you Use Mints to Freshen your Breath?
Finding the right way to freshen your breath can seem like a constant battle, especially when you consume odorous foods, such as garlic and onions. While there are many options that are perfectly healthy for your teeth, mints are not one of them. While powerful enough to freshen your breath, these hard candies can cause further damage to your teeth, putting you at risk for excessive tooth decay.
The Disadvantages of Mints
Mints, just like any other hard candy, are sucked on, which prolongs the amount of time that your mouth is exposed to its sugar. As you suck on the mints, the sugar is spread throughout your mouth, hitting many teeth, putting them at risk for tooth decay. This is especially true of your molars, as they are far back enough to capture the bacteria without getting properly brushed away, exposing your teeth to decay producing acids for a long period of time. Other disadvantages of mints include:
- Even though they provide fresh breath, it is a temporary fix. It is like putting a Band-Aid on a cut. The Band-Aid does not cure the cut; it just covers it up. The same is true for mints; they do not address the reason for your bad breath, whether it is from food that you ate or a dental health issue, such as tooth decay or gingivitis.
- Because the fresh breath from a mint does not last long, many people consume more than one mint at a time, prolonging the exposure of their teeth to excessive sugar. Even if you only consume one mint at a time, but eat one after every meal, you increase your chance of having cavities by a large degree.
- Mints do not help in fighting against tooth decay. There are no mints that are approved by the ADA, promoting the prevention of tooth decay. Some sugarless gums, on the other hand, contain the ingredient Xylitol, which has been shown to decrease the occurrence of cavities when chewed regularly after meals.
A Better Option
Your best chance at fighting bad breath is to brush your teeth immediately after eating. Because this is not always possible, the next best option is to drink a glass of water after eating. This allows any food debris and bacteria to be washed out of your mouth. This will decrease the presence of bad breath as well as your risk for tooth decay.
Dr. Jordan Cooper is from Jacksonville, AR. His father is Dr. James Cooper, a Jonesboro, AR native and practicing dentist of 39 years and his mother, Tracy Cooper, is a dental hygienist from Little Rock. Dr. Cooper graduated high school from Central Arkansas Christian, after which he entered at the University of Arkansas as a Chancellor’s Scholar in 1998.
Dr. David Cole is a graduate from the University of Arkansas, receiving his degree in 2016, and is a huge Razorback fan! He then went to dental school at the University of Tennessee where he received his D.D.S. in 2021. He looks forward to getting to know the Central Arkansas area, and serving his community!
Dr. Rasmussen is a Hot Springs native who graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2017 (Go Bears). After receiving his D.D.S from The University of Tennessee in 2021, he is looking forward to serving the central Arkansas community and the wonderful people who live here.
Dr. James Cooper was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He studied at the University of New Mexico and graduated from dental school from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. After 2 years of dental experience with the Army, Dr. Cooper moved to Jacksonville in 1973 to practice dentistry.