How to look after your smile this Easter

Easter can be a challenging time for our teeth. Sugar is one of the main causes of tooth decay. Unluckily for our patients of Kent, most Easter eggs bought in our local shops in Crayford and Dartford are averaging around 20 teaspoons per medium-large egg! Dartford Road Dental Centre has a few tricks and tips on How To Look After Your Smile This Easter, so you can happily enjoy your treats, guilt-free!

Choose Dark over Milk Chocolate

Dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk and white chocolate and a higher percentage of cocoa.
Cocoa beans contain theobromine, which has been shown to remineralise teeth.
Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to get many benefits from a chocolate egg.

Though Dark chocolate may not be to everyone’s taste, perhaps this may sway you. One large Dark Chocolate egg’s sugar content is equivalent to a standard-size crème egg. Creme eggs are 1/6 smaller in size than a large egg!

Enjoy your Easter treats at mealtimes

Every time you enjoy something sugary, it feeds the bacteria living on your teeth, creating harmful acids at the same time. These acids soften the enamel on your teeth, making them more susceptible to erosion and decay.
It takes your saliva around 30 minutes to neutralise this acidity. If you wait 30 minutes and then eat another sugary snack the whole process starts again and your teeth are endlessly subjected to acidic conditions.
Our dentists at Dartford Road Dental Centre recommend eating your eggs in fewer sittings, preferably at mealtimes, preventing this continuous acid attack.

Damage control

There are a few things you can do to limit the damage after eating your sugary treats. Many of us would rush to clean our teeth but as we’ve learned, your teeth soften during this acid attack and you could cause more damage by brushing.
Allow your enamel 30 minutes to re-harden first if you want to brush. In the meantime, drinking water and chewing sugar-free gum can help to stimulate saliva flow and wash away sugary food debris and bacteria.

Bigger is not always better

Some larger chocolate eggs can contain 8-10 times the recommended daily sugar intake for children. A large 250g chocolate bunny can contain up to 35 teaspoons of sugar. That’s a whopping 175g of sugar!

Recommended sugar intake for children:

• Babies and toddlers – should avoid sugar
• Four to 6 years old – No more than 19g of sugar per day
• Seven to 10 years old – No more than 24g of sugar per day
• Age 11 to Adult – No more than 30g of sugar per day

For more information and help on cutting down on your sugar, please visit https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/how-to-cut-down-on-sugar-in-your-diet/

Switch up your Easter egg hunt this year!

Instead of scavenging lots of sugar-laden Easter eggs this year, why not try something different?

• Use plastic eggs in your hunt and make the end prize a toy/game or teddy as the grand prize?
• Try sugar-free sweets as prizes and treats
• Swap milk chocolate for Dark chocolate
• Make a fun-filled Easter hamper, including pens and colouring, Easter crafts, and puzzles
• Get crafty – Paint hard-boiled eggs, a timeless classic enjoyed by all the family!

Avoid sticky candy and sweets, stick to chocolate

Avoid sticky, sour, and hard candies this Easter. Sticky sweets are called that for a reason: they literally stick to your teeth. Remnants of sticky sweets and caramels are difficult to remove, even with diligent brushing and flossing. The remaining bits of sweet can cause rapid tooth decay.

Chocolate treats can easily be washed away by drinking a glass of water or milk. However, unlike other candy that is sticky, gooey, and hard, chocolate doesn’t linger as long on your teeth.

Why is Easter celebrated in the UK?

Easter is one of the principal holidays, or feasts, of Christianity. It marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christian churches, Easter is the joyful end to the Lenten season of fasting and penitence.

The practice this year will be closed on:

Good Friday – 7th April 2023
Easter Monday – 10th April 2023

How do I book an appointment at the practice?

Booking has never been easier! Call our team on 01322 223 927 or book online via Online Booking (dentalhub.online)

Register with Denplan, Simply health, to enjoy the benefits and discounts most of our patients are benefiting from by clicking this link Denplan | Dentist Dartford | Cosmetic Dentist Crayford (drdc.co.uk)

From all of the team at Dartford Road Dental Centre, we wish you a very happy Easter!