Easter is looming large on the calendar, and the stores are full of enticing Easter goodies. It is hard to resist temptation and especially if you have kids, and it’s unreasonable to think that you won’t indulge at least a little bit. However, with a bit of planning, you can enjoy this sweet celebration without causing too much harm to your pearly whites. Here are a few tips to keep you and your family’s teeth safe this Easter, and hopefully cavity-free, so there’s no need to see an emergency dentist in Newcastle!

Choose When to Eat Easter Treats

Choosing when to eat Easter goodies can make all the difference to your dental health. Whenever you eat something very sweet or sugary, bacteria in your mouth will thrive. They create acid as a by-product which weakens and erodes your tooth enamel. After eating something sweet or sticky, your mouth remains more acidic for up to an hour afterwards. If you tend to snack on chocolate throughout the day, the damage to your teeth is increased. Plan to eat chocolate as part of a main meal when your mouth is naturally more acidic, and the damage is reduced.

Rinse with Water after Eating

After you have finished eating, rinse your mouth with plain water. This will help to wash away excess food particles, and it helps the pH levels in your mouth to normalize more quickly. Also, you need to remain well-hydrated, so you can produce plenty of saliva as this helps to protect your teeth.

Don’t Brush Immediately

This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s better to wait at least half an hour to an hour before you brush your teeth after eating. Because your mouth is more acidic, your tooth enamel is softer and more easily damaged by a toothbrush. When you wait awhile, acidity levels decrease, and your tooth enamel gradually becomes harder and less easily damaged by brushing.

Choose Your Easter Treats with Care

Perhaps surprisingly, even though it’s laden with sugar, chocolate is one of the better sweet treats to indulge in. It melts easily and is less likely to remain on your teeth for prolonged periods. In contrast, sticky caramel and toffee can remain stuck on your teeth for hours. If you like dark chocolate, this can be an even better choice for your teeth because it contains less sugar compared with white or milk chocolate.

Keep up with Your Regular Oral Hygiene Routine

The Easter weekend is often a time for visiting family and friends, or perhaps you are going away for a few days? However, it’s crucial to make sure you keep up with your regular dental hygiene routine. Even if you are out and about and super busy, you can still spare a couple of minutes twice a day to brush your teeth thoroughly. Flossing is even more critical and especially if you have been eating a lot of sweet or sticky foods. Do you struggle to floss? Ask our dentist in Clarington for help and advice during your next visit. We’d be delighted to show you how to floss correctly. If you are going away, don’t forget to pack your toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. You don’t want to spend precious time trailing around the stores looking for your favourite brands.

Keep up with Your Regular Checkups

Tooth decay is a common problem here in Courtice, but regular checkups can detect even the tiniest lesions in your teeth so we can provide suitable treatment more quickly and it’s more cost-effective too! Be sure to book a checkup if it has been a while since you visited us here at West Bowmanville Family Dental.