Avoid The Candy: Show Your Sweetie Some Love With 3 Tooth-Friendly Alternatives

Candy is one of the worst things for your teeth, though it is one of the most popular gifts at Valentine's Day and any other day of the year when you want to show someone you care for them. Candy can lead to the decay and breakage of your teeth. The damage can potentially be even more severe if you don't take care of your teeth the way that you need to. Eventually, this could lead to the need for cosmetic dental options from a company like Delta Oaks Dental Care, such as dental bonding, veneers and dental implants. To help avoid this, consider these alternatives to candy when you want to show your significant other some love.

1. Heart-Shaped Oatmeal Pancakes

One of the best things to receive is breakfast in bed. It's a great way to show your significant other that you care, while also helping to ensure that their day starts off great. Pancakes are one of the easiest breakfast foods to manipulate to look the way that you want, which in this case is a heart.

Instead of standard pancakes, though, you could consider oatmeal pancakes. These are made primarily with oats, bananas, cinnamon and egg whites. Oatmeal is a whole grain, which research suggests can help your teeth stay stronger and healthier for a longer period of time while also reducing periodontitis by 23 percent.

If you don't think you can make the heart yourself, you can always use a cookie cutter shaped like a heart. Don't forget to add a hint of red food coloring to make these pancakes even more special. To make the pancakes even healthier, use fresh fruit as a topping instead of syrup.

2. Fruit Bouquets

Fruit is definitely healthier than candy, and there are plenty of people that prefer fruit as a healthy snack. For that reason, fruit bouquets and arrangements have become very popular over the last decade or so. Various types of fruits, including strawberries (whitening) and apples (bacteria reduction), have positive effects on your teeth. Primarily, both of these fruits can help reduce plaque and whiten your teeth. 

You can opt to make your own so that your honey sees it when he or she gets home from work or you can opt to order a professional bouquet to be delivered to him or her at work. Either way, it's a good way to show you care about them, their teeth and their overall health.

3. Dark Chocolate, or Dark Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

There is no reason that you can't provide something sweet for your love, such as chocolate. However, you will want to opt for dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is significantly healthier than standard chocolate, as it is packed with various antioxidants. Research suggests that there are certain compounds that are found within dark chocolate that help to prevent the development of oral cavities. To do more than something simple like a box of chocolates, consider adding the dark chocolate onto some juicy strawberries.

With a little bit of creativity and imagination, you can create some healthy sweets to give to your loved one to show how much you care – not only about them, but their oral health as well.