Aperture Dental Practice would like to wish all our clients a Happy Easter! 🐰
As the Easter Bunny brings us a whole lot of delectable sweet treats (including miniature chocolate statues of himself), let us arm ourselves with some information so that we can enjoy it all in a smarter way!
Firstly, the basics - how does tooth decay happen?
It is important to understand how tooth decay starts so that you can be aware of how to prevent it.
When we consume food/drinks containing sugar, the bacteria in the plaque on our teeth converts the sugar into acid. The acid then attacks the surface of our teeth, causing it to weaken or ‘demineralise‘.
This damage to our teeth leads to holes, or cavities, in those precious pearly whites.
So how to eat smarter this Easter?
Frequency Matters
The best time to enjoy those sweet treats is at mealtimes, e.g. for dessert straight after dinner, rather than in between meals.
This reduces the number of times a day your teeth experience a “sugar attack“, while giving it more time to recover from the last “sugar attack”.
Get Drooling
Just kidding! Keep the saliva in your mouth please 😄
Have a small piece of sugar free chewing gum after a meal or sugary treat. Chewing on gum can help to stimulate saliva, neutralise acid and keep bacteria from sticking to the surface of the teeth.
Saliva also contains calcium to help with remineralising tooth enamel.
Drink Up, Brush and Floss
After consuming sweet food or drinks, drink a glass of water. This helps to rinse away the sugar.
Then yes, the classic, time-tested, teeth-saving “hack” – Brush your teeth well with a soft toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste, at least twice each day.
And floss after that!
That’s it for now, hope these reminders are helpful to you. When we know better we can do better!
Again, wishing all of you a Happy Easter celebration and a wonderful holiday!!
