Easter weekend is upon us again here in Bingham Farms, Michigan. Sundresses, treat-filled baskets, and delicious family dinners have a lot of us eagerly awaiting this spring holiday. Plus, all those marshmallow Peeps, jelly beans, and chocolate eggs are certainly tempting on Easter Sundays. And when you add in those delicious cakes, drinks, and snacks in the mix, the entire celebration can end up being a day of diet indulgence.
Unfortunately for your teeth, this day can also be tough on your enamel. All of those sugary treats can stimulate acid production in your mouth, leading to tooth decay and cavities. In order to keep you and your family healthy this Easter, the Smile Creator of Bingham Farms is here to offer 7 oral health tips to practice this Sunday.
1. Choose Your Sweets Wisely
While jelly beans and gummies are tasty, their sticky textures allow them to adhere to your teeth and wreak havoc on your enamel longer. Try and choose chocolates and other treats that won’t stick to your teeth as easily.
Additionally, steer clear of candies that have lower acidic components. Lemonheads and sour candies are generally pretty acidic and can harm your teeth, so try to avoid these harmful treats and opt for your favorite chocolates instead.
2. Don’t Graze Throughout The Day
With so much food readily available throughout the day, it’s easy to fall victim to constant grazing. About 20 minutes after you eat anything, your saliva starts to neutralize the acids formed by the bacteria in your mouth, so the more frequently you eat, the longer you’re exposing your enamel to cavity-causing acids.
Try to stay away from the candy dish and eat all of your sweet treats with a meal. If possible, eat some apple slices or celery after you chow down on candy. The texture of certain fruits and veggies can help clean some of the plaque and bacteria from your teeth.
3. Rinse
A lot of people are under the false impression that brushing after every meal is a good way to cut down on plaque. The truth is that brushing immediately after every meal can be harmful to your enamel and encourage acids to attack.
Rinsing with water is the best thing you can do after a sugary snack. Plain tap water is usually fluoridated and can help remineralize your enamel while neutralizing the acidic compounds in your mouth.
4. Practice Good Oral Hygiene
This one is a general tip that you should practice year round, but pay extra close attention to your oral hygiene routine after a day of indulging on candies. Ensure that you brush your teeth gently and with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Brushing too roughly can damage your enamel and gums, creating further problems down the line.
Brushing is simple. Clean the surface of all your teeth with a gentle circular motion. The entire process should only take about 2 minutes each morning and night, and should be followed up with thorough flossing at least once per day. Brushing more than twice per day is unnecessary, even if you’ve been eating candies all day.
5. Chew Sugarless Gum
Chewing a stick of sugarless gum after your hearty Easter meal can stimulate saliva production, helping to neutralize the acidic compounds in your mouth. Plus, it can help remove food particles stuck on or between your teeth. All it takes is about 15-20 minutes of chewing to help minimize the effects of sugar on your teeth.
6. Stay Hydrated
A dehydrated mouth is a perfect environment for bacteria to grow and begin attacking your teeth. When your mouth is dry, it won’t produce the amount of saliva that it needs to, and therefore won’t rinse away food particles and germs. Staying hydrated throughout the day is a great way to ensure that your mouth remains free of food debris and other cavity-causing bacteria.
Especially if you’re spending Easter Sunday active outdoors, it’s important to drink water throughout the day. Try to limit your soft drink, juice, or alcohol consumption and stick to water as much as you can.
7. Visit The Smile Creator Of Bingham Farms
Once all the Easter eggs are gone and the candy wrappers are in the trash, you may want to make appointments for your entire family, just in case someone went a little overboard on the candy. The hygienist will clean away excess plaque and tartar, and then your dentist can thoroughly check to make sure that you don’t have tooth decay or signs of gum disease.
If you find out that your teeth are not in awesome shape after Easter Sunday’s spoils, it’s not the end of the world. You can make an appointment with our office to have your cavities filled, toothaches treated, and gum disease managed.
We hope you have a happy, healthy, fun-filled Easter this year!