6 steps to keep it a little sweet this Easter

17-03-2020

At The Gallery Dental Centre of Excellence, we want to ensure you keep your smiles healthy throughout your lifetime. Easter is just around the corner and we know how tempting it is to indulge in those sweet treats over the long weekend of celebrations. But we also know all what damage all that sugar can bring! So, here are our top tips to enjoying Easter without ruining your teeth. In the meantime, why not use the school holidays to book in you and your offspring for a check-up? And if you’re looking for a spring clean for your smile, you can have an appointment with one of our hygienists without seeing a dentist first. They can give your teeth and gums a professional clean and advise on how best to take care of your smile at home. They can also help to tweak some of those diet choices and lifestyle habits that can impact on a healthy smile.

1. Make memories not cavities. Consider giving children an alternative to chocolate eggs this Easter. A good book or arranging fun activities, such as decorating eggs or making Easter bonnets, will keep kids occupied. There are also some fun and free family activities over the holidays for kids of all ages to enjoy. These are what make memories!
2. Don’t get stuck with decay! Try to avoid sticky, gummy or sour sweets. Sticky sweets coat your teeth and can pull out fillings, sour sweets are acidic and can attack tooth enamel, and hard-boiled sweets come with the risk of chipping tooth enamel. It is far better to celebrate with chocolate that won’t stick around in the mouth so long – the longer the sugar attacks, the more risk there is of decay.
3. If you find it hard to resist the temptation of Easter eggs, limit your intake to eating them immediately after a meal. Grazing on chocolate all day is not only bad for the diet, it also means your teeth are under constant acid attack. This means that the more frequently you eat, the longer your tooth enamel is exposed to these acids that can lead to cavities.
4. Don’t clean your teeth immediately after eating – you may do more harm than good. Our advice is to wait an hour before brushing. Chewing sugar-free gum after meals is a great way of stimulating saliva flow, which is our natural defence against acids. It clears away harmful bacteria and neutralises those harmful acids to restore the mouth back to health again.
5. Limit your intake of fizzy drinks and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. A dry mouth also puts the health of your teeth and gums at risk and h2O is the healthiest option.
6. Book an appointment with us BEFORE you discover any problems with your teeth. That way, we can keep an eye on your smile and ensure it stays in tip-top condition.