‘Tis the season of delicious chocolate and, here at Kiln Lane Dental, we can’t wait for a heavenly delivery from the Easter bunny! But let’s face it – as yummy as those egg-shaped sweet treats may be, they can also be bad news for your oral health.
Sugar is one of the main causes of tooth decay in the UK, particularly in children – and unfortunately, chocolate eggs are packed full of it. So to help minimise the damage, here we’ve rounded up a few tips on how to look after your teeth this Easter.
Read on and enjoy the chocolatey goodness with a clear conscience.
3 tips to take eggs-tra special care of your teeth
1. Choose your confectionary carefully
Not all chocolate is created equal.
With regards to dental care, dark chocolate is by far your best bet. Not only does it contain less sugar than milk and white, it also has a high percentage of cocoa – which some studies have shown can actually help to fight cavities, plaque and tooth decay.
The closer the confectionary is to the cacao bean, the better. So our advice is to look for an Easter egg with low sugar content (6-8g per serving) and a cocoa concentration of 70% or above.
If you’re not a fan of the bitter taste, a milk chocolate egg at the top end of the cocoa scale – around the 40-60% mark – is the next best option. But be sure to leave white varieties on the supermarket shelf. Made from sugar, cocoa butter and milk, white chocolate isn’t really chocolate at all. It contains zero cocoa and is the worst culprit in terms of its impact on dental health.
2. Eat chocolate en masse
Don’t take this point too literally. We’re not encouraging you to make yourself sick with over-indulgence. But it seems, ‘Don’t eat it all at once!’ is really poor advice.
Every time you tuck into something sugary, the bacterium in your mouth reacts with the sugar and produces harmful acid – that can weaken the enamel and lead to erosion and cavities. It takes your saliva around 30 minutes to neutralise this acid. So if you wait half an hour, then eat another sugary snack, the whole process starts again.
That’s why one of the best dental care tips for Easter is to be a greedy guts. Eating your chocolate eggs ‘all at once’ – preferably at a normal mealtime – is much better for your dental health.
3. Limit the damage
It may seem counterintuitive, but you should never clean your teeth immediately after eating a sweet treat. The acid produced by the sugar softens the enamel and, if you brush, this can wear the enamel away – doing more harm than good in the long run.
It’s best to wait at least 30 minutes before reaching for the toothbrush. This should be plenty of time for your saliva to neutralise the harmful acids. And in the meantime, drinking water and chewing sugar-free gum is a good way to stimulate saliva flow and wash away any remaining food debris or bacteria.
Prioritise dental care this Easter
Easter is the perfect excuse to enjoy your favourite choccy – and that’s fine with us. We’ll certainly be doing the same thing! But to minimise its impact on your oral health, be sure to keep our dental care tips in mind and protect your enamel from that pesky sugar.
If you – or the kids – do go a little OTT on the chocolate eggs, why not book yourself in for a check-up after the Easter holidays? As a leading family dental clinic in St Helens, we can offer both routine and emergency appointments for both adults and children – whether you’re a member or not.
To arrange a time and date that suits you, either give us a call on 01744 25776 or use our online system to see what’s currently available. Or if you’d like further advice on how to look after your teeth properly this Easter, you’re always welcome to contact us. Simply send an email to info@kilnlanedental.co.uk and one of our in-house specialists will get back to you.