Last Updated on 18th September 2019
And we all know what that means – chocolate! If you are planning on eating lots of chocolate this Easter, please ensure you give your teeth some consideration.
Sugar and plaque bacteria cause decay but it’s not how much you eat, it’s how often and how long the sugar is on your teeth that really matters. It takes your teeth at least 45 minutes to recover from every sugar attack. With this in mind, please remember to:
- Keep sweets and chocolate to mealtimes to avoid multiple sugar attacks throughout the day and evening
- Brush twice a day for 2 minutes using a fluoride toothpaste* to get rid of the sugar and plaque on your teeth
- Only use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste on your brush
- Spit not rinse after brushing, as rinsing washes away the fluoride
- Make sure you watch children under 7 brush their teeth to check they are doing it right
- Change your toothbrush every 3 months
- Visit your dentist regularly – ideally every 6 months – so that your teeth remain healthy and strong for life
- Encourage family members with a high decay rate to regularly visit the dentist so that harmful bacteria are not passed on to younger generations
At Evesham Dental Health Team in Worcestershire, it’s very unusual for our younger patients to get cavities. This is because we provide parents and children with very strong health messages about diet and sugar and this seems to work well. However, some people’s teeth are sadly more vulnerable and prone to decay than others, even with careful restriction of sugary, sweet, acidic food and drink to mealtimes.
We have been researching and developing a Caries Prevention Programme for our patients in and around Evesham, Pershore, Worcester, Bidford, Alcester, Stratford and Cheltenham, as well as training our team to provide risk assessments. This is for our patients who are getting repeated cavities with no obvious cause.
We offer a Caries Risk Assessment that includes saliva testing and we recommend a personalised caries prevention programme to prevent further decay. This may include using Carifree products, GC products and/or xylitol.
Xylitol is a healthy sugar that has been proven to prevent many oral and respiratory diseases and is even recommended for babies. Xylitol is found naturally in tree bark and corn husk, tastes similar to sugar but has 40% fewer calories, is safe for teeth and is safe for diabetics.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to call a member of our helpful team.
* Please check that your child’s toothpaste has the right level of fluoride for their age: Children up to three years old should use toothpaste with a fluoride level of at least 1000ppm (parts per million). Three-year-olds (and adults) should use one that contains 1350ppm to 1500ppm.
