Don’t let sugar ruin your Halloween fun!
Its that time of the year! Halloween is one of the most sugary days of the year. After “Trick or Treating” this saturday evening, its even more important to guard against the evils of tooth decay.
If you follow these tips, you will be able to enjoy the night and not feel guilty:
- Regular brushing with a fluoride toothpaste and flossing are the best way to prevent decay. Electric brushes are shown to be more effective at cleaning your teeth and we recommend either an Oral B Pro-Care or a Sonicare toothbrush.
- The longer the teeth are exposed to sugars and acid, the more likely decay is. Try to avoid or limit hard sweets that stay in the mouth for prolonged periods of time. This also means that grazing on sweets (1 or 2 at a time over a long period of time) is much worse than a binge eating session.
- Avoid fizzy and other sugary drinks. Sports drinks and flavoured water are also no good for teeth, especially in combination with sweets (a bottle of ready made Ribena has a staggering 14 teaspoons of sugar in it!)
- Try to save the sweets for directly after meals. The mouth produces more saliva during and after mealtimes, which helps balance out the acids and wash away bacteria and particles.
- Chew sugar free gum with xylitol. Chewing for 20 minutes can help to prevent tooth decay by increasing saliva production.
Remember: daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, flossing and regular visits to the dentist are the best way to keep teeth healthy and free of decay.
Please don’t ban your children from sweets – I’m going to be diving into them myself, but by following these tips, I am going to be keeping my teeth safe from zombies, ghosts and cavities throughout the year.