Healthy teeth like the Easter Bunny's
The irony of the Easter Bunny's gloriously big healthy teeth despite the huge volume of his sugary eggs at easter time! Just how can we achieve sparkling healthy teeth like the Easter Bunny ourselves despite this abundance of chocolate? Here we share some tips and tricks for the best possible dental health this easter that will help to reduce exposure to sugar (because we all know about the link between sugar and tooth decay) but still allow us to fully enjoy the fun of the season!
1) Consider the type of chocolate of your egg
Have you considered choosing dark chocolate easter eggs as an alternative to milk or white? Because dark chocolate contains much less sugar than milk or white. For example 100g of milk chocolate contains 52g of sugar, where as Lindt 78% dark chocolate contains only 18g of sugar. The sugar content in milk chocolate will vary among brands, but we feel this can be a significant help in sugar reduction.
The size of the egg is also a consideration, remember quality not quantity! Consider a smaller egg rather than a larger one which will of course contain twice the amount of sugar. The recommended daily allowance of sugar for a child aged 7-10 is no more than 24g. A medium sized Dairy milk button easter egg contains roughly 56g of sugar, that's almost twice their entire daily allowance in one go! We recommend checking the nutritional information on your egg for this sugar listing.
2) Easter hunt, non-chocolate fillable eggs
We recommend empty fillable easter eggs! These are perfect for the easter egg hunt, they can be hidden all round the garden or at home, then the kids can enjoy for searching for them.
fillable egg hunt ideas to consider:
1) find 10 eggs and receive a main prize (this could be non chocolate or one chocolate egg).
2) Put a non chocolate prize inside each egg such as an easter chick.
3) A treasure hunt with clues, each egg could contain a written clue that leads to the next egg and finally to an end prize!
3) Non-chocolate easter gifts
How about giving a non chocolate gift! kids love easter activities such as: Craft activity packs, colouring books, book tokens, growing kits, easter bonnet making kits, painting egg shells. There are so many great non chocolate activities on the market to buy or that you can hand make at home this Easter.
4) What treats to avoid at Easter for healthier teeth
Avoid sticky sugar sweets, you may come across sweets like jelly beans that come with easter eggs or the sugary cream inside cream eggs. Some sweets are worse than others, sticky sweets are the worst for tooth decay because they stick to the teeth and it can get inside small cracks so that bacteria has more time to feed on the sugar until brushing and flossing time at bedtime. If your child does eat such sweets we recommend a thorough rinse with water after eating and ideally floss and brush to remove any stickiness.
5) Tips: The best way to eat your easter eggs
1) Make a specific treat time, eating your chocolate once during the day rather than continuous eating will really help remove acidity levels that build up as your mouth has a chance to return to its neutral state . You could pick a specific time to enjoy your eggs together and follow this with a glass of water to clear the sugar from your teeth.
2) Rinse after treats, we always recommend simply rinsing your mouth with water after eating a sweet treat. Plain water helps the saliva do the job of neutralising the pH of the mouth.
3) Brushing and flossing, remember the two minute rule, brush for at least two minutes twice a day and floss or use interdentals before brushing. This is the best method for prevention and will help clear away any bacteria from your teeth.
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Come and see us! We hope some of these ideas are helpful to you and that you have a fun filled Easter holiday. If your routine dental exams are due or if you have any concerns, why not book to come and see us we will examine and put your mind at ease. Book your appointment here
Maria Hardman:
"I created Clinic 95 so I can use the very best of dental innovation to provide the highest possible standards of dentistry.
In the clinic I designed myself, you’ll find an extraordinary range of dental treatment options.
And yet, I think the most striking thing about Clinic 95 is just how caring and friendly the team is. I think you'll enjoy meeting them."