Healthy Summer Treats That Won’t Harm Your Teeth

When we think of a tasty summer treat, foods like ice cream, popsicles, snow cones, and milkshakes often come to mind. These treats may be delicious on a hot summer day, but the sugar can break down your enamel and cause decay. While they may sound tempting, there are plenty of healthy summer treats that will not harm your teeth. 

Enjoy These Healthy Summer Treats

A lower sugar alternative to ice cream is frozen yogurt. This can be made even better for your teeth when you make the frozen yogurt yourself. Frozen yogurt can be made by whisking together plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, sugar, and corn syrup and putting it in an ice cream maker. Making it yourself will allow you to control the amount of sugar you use. Dollop your frozen yogurt onto a broiled split banana, add some almond slivers and raspberries, and dig in. 

Keep it simple with delicious watermelon slushies. Just puree seedless watermelon in a blender, pour it into a plastic bag and freeze overnight. The next day, divide it into cups, and you will be picnic-ready. In addition to having no added sugar, this recipe takes only 10 minutes! 

If you are a fruit lover, try frozen grapes, blueberries, or kiwi for a cold and tasty snack. Kiwi is packed with calcium which neutralizes acids and fortifies our enamel. To cut out the excess sugar found in ice cream, try 1-ingredient banana “nice cream.” All you need to do is blend frozen bananas and add some blueberries or peanut butter.

Cold Snacks That Could Harm Your Teeth

Avoid anything containing citrus. Sweets such as lemon pops, orange sherbet, and grapefruit sorbet can erode enamel due to their high acid content. Summer treats that contain carbonation, such as ice cream soda, will coat your teeth in acid and dry out your mouth. 

Another summer favorite, iced coffee, stains your teeth and erodes your enamel. Although sucking ice may cool you down, never chew it as this can chip teeth and damage fillings and crowns. 

Ultimate Smile Design Wishes You a Happy Summer!

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, especially here in sunny Palm Bay, Florida. We hope you and your family have an awesome summer, complete with healthy, cold treats!