Is honey healthier?
Honey has a number of benefits as a sweetener, compared to conventional refined sugars. Knowing this, some people make the mistake of thinking that these benefits extend to your oral health. They’ll use honey as an alternative sweetener, hoping that it will add up to less tooth decay, sometimes even going so far as to coat a baby’s pacifier in honey. This is an unfortunate mistake.
The fact is that honey has just as much potential to rot your teeth as cane sugar. Approximately 82% of honey is made up of sugars, which amounts to about seventeen grams of sugar per tablespoon. Though these are natural glucose and fructose, they still provide your oral bacteria with the food they need to produce the acid that eats away at your enamel.
As sticky as it is, there is even some additional risk that honey will linger in your mouth longer than most sweeteners, inviting further decay.
When eating honey, be sure to treat it much the same way you would treat any sugary snack. Enjoy it sparingly, and consider rinsing out with water afterward. Consult our dentist, Dr. Song, for more help fostering good oral health.
