Managing The Chocolates At Easter
Kids tend to love sweets and no matter how parents might try to encourage their kids to avoid lollies and chocolates, sweet treats will often still manage to sneak into their Easter stash. Here are some ways to reduce the likelihood of tooth decay developing this Easter.
- Timing: It’s best to have chocolate at the end of a meal when salivary flow is high, rather than as snacks between meals
- Timing: Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing after a sugary treat. Sugars are used by dental plaque to make acids, which soften tooth enamel. Enamel can be brushed away if you brush immediately after a sweet treat
- Rinsing: with water immediately after a sugary treat will dilute the sugars left in the mouth
- Neutralise acids: Most kids will think this is weird, but offer them a snack of cheese immediately after a sweet treat. Cheese has been shown to neutralise the acids and prevent the enamel from dissolving.
- Consider a chocolate buy-back arrangement with your kids: offer cash for chocolate (and don’t be tempted to eat the chocolate yourself!)
Teeth suffer more if they are exposed to sugars frequently over time: teeth would actually cope better if a child’s entire Easter stash was eaten in a single sitting. We are not recommending this of course! Much better to limit the total amount of sugar consumed per year by avoiding sweet treats as much as possible.
More thoughts about Easter from the Irish Dental Health Foundation and the Ontorio Dental Association:
http://www.dentalhealth.ie/news/2012/04
http://www.oda.on.ca/media-room/media-releases/173-oda-says-easter-sweets-can-still-be-a-trea