Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and boxes of chocolate are flying off the shelves! While the “sweets for the sweet” custom is engrained in Valentine’s Day tradition, it wasn’t until the mid-1800s that chocolate was placed in heart-shaped boxes and delivered on Valentine’s Day.
Today, love-struck men and women spend nearly $1 billion in chocolate products every Feb. 14th.
What you may not expect is that dentists are thrilled that chocolate – and not caramel – is the main choice on V-Day! Since moderation of any indulgence is key to maintaining a healthy mouth, it is also important to remember that all chocolate contains sugar, which leads to cavities. But if we must have candy tomorrow – and we must! – chocolate is the dentist’s choice.
Benefits of chocolate:
• It melts quickly and sits on the surface of teeth a shorter amount of time than sticky candy
• It has been tied to decreasing stroke
• Chocolate boosts heart health
• It MAY fight diabetes
• Chocolate offers some protection from UV damage from the sun
• It can improve your vision because it helps blood flow
• It makes you smarter
Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s more than enough reasons to dive into that heart-shaped goodness! But remember, moderation is key and rinse your mouth with water after you’re done.