Curbing Dental Damage At Easter
Moderate those chocs and treats! (at least try please….!)
Easter is a fun holiday that has become much more popular in recent years.
Many years ago it would have been celebrated in church, then as time went on it became much more commercial; so-much-so that today chocolate eggs are very obvious during the celebrations and Easter decorations are very much ‘on trend’.
Certainly the event has become much bigger than it ever was before!
With all the different chocolate eggs that are out there, your teeth certainly get a rough ride over this particular holiday. Where before children may only have had one or two chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday, now, the chocolate festivities may last all week. They may make their own chocolate eggs at school, they might go to Easter parties, indeed it seems like they enjoy choccy treats all the time!
This clearly creates a problem for the teeth because they are exposed to sugar continually over a longer period. You may not think one week or a few days of overdoing it with the chocolate will cause any damage, but it may well start off an issue, or make an existing dental issue worse. If your child still has their baby teeth, the damage may go beyond their milk teeth and cause issues for their permanent set of teeth.
Here at Abbey Road Dental we’re not here to ruin the fun, but we do want to help you curb any potential dental damage your children’s teeth may be at risk of over Easter. So here are some easy tips to help you keep tooth damage to a minimum this holiday:
Try To Keep Eating Treats To One Set Time
Consuming chocolate all day means teeth are bathed in sugar for a prolonged period of time, prolonging the attack on teeth. Alternatively, if you can organise it so that children are only consuming chocolate at mealtimes over Easter, then the risk is more limited, which is better for teeth!
Be Clear About When Chocolate Is Going To Be Offered
If you don’t make a decision about when your child is going to enjoy their chocolate, or if you tell them no and then you tuck into an egg, you may find your patience tested when they complain and ask for it over and over again. Why not make it clear that they can eat as much chocolate as they want, or they can have their favourite egg, or they can have 3 pieces of chocolate (it is your decision how much they consume) during X and Y? Perhaps you will keep it to Easter Sunday only, and any left over eggs get eaten in small amounts as treats in the coming weeks? Perhaps you will limit it to a set time every day, say after dinner, over the Easter weekend? As long as you are clear about when, the children will hopefully take that as read and look forward to the time they can eat it, rather than trying to ask for it all the time.
Avoid The ‘Worst’ Treats
Some treats are worse than others, and although chocolate is not good for the teeth, certain treats are significantly worse. Toffee or caramel covered in chocolate, for example, is bad for the teeth because it sticks to the surface and causes damage; some chocolate eggs also come with highly acidic sweets, which damage the enamel on the teeth. Anything sticky, high acid, or that prolongs the amount of time the teeth come into contact with sugar or acid, should be avoided.
Let Abbey Road Dental Support Your Oral Health All Year Round
Hopefully our simple tips have helped you feel better equipped to control sugar attacks on your children’s teeth over Easter. Of course for the best results, teeth should be cared for all year round. Here at Abbey Road Dental in St John’s Wood we pride ourselves on being ‘the’ family friendly dentist. We provide all members of the family with all their dental needs, ensuring everyone has bright and healthy smiles all year round.
Do you need to register or book a check-up? Please give our NW8 clinic a call on 02076241603 and we will be more than happy to help!