Ann-Marie Banks, from Apollonia House Dental and Health Care in Grasscroft, gives you some tips on protecting your teeth from decay this Easter
AS EASTER approaches many of us look forward to a few days off work when we plan to spend time with family and look forward to eating Easter eggs, which may be our first chocolate in 40 days!
Here are a few words of advice so we can enjoy our Easter treats and still protect our teeth.
What is dental decay?
Dental decay happens when the enamel and dentine of a tooth become softened by acid attack after you have eaten or drunk anything containing sugars. Over time, the acid makes a cavity (hole) in the tooth. ‘Dental decay’ is the same as tooth decay and is also known as ‘dental caries’.
Why do my teeth decay?
Decay happens when sugars in food and drinks react with the bacteria in plaque, forming acids. Every time you eat or drink anything containing sugars, these acids attack the teeth and start to soften and dissolve the enamel.
The attacks can last for an hour after eating or drinking, before the natural salts in your saliva cause the enamel to ‘remineralise’ and harden again.
It’s not just sugars that are harmful: other types of carbohydrate foods and drinks react with plaque and form acids. (These are the ‘fermentable’ carbohydrates such as the ‘hidden sugars’ in processed food or natural sugars like those in fruit and cooked starches).
Snacking between meals on sugary or acidic foods and drinks can increase the risk of decay as the teeth come under constant attack and do not have time to recover. So it is important not to keep snacking on sugary foods or drinks throughout the day.
What can I do to prevent decay?
The best way to prevent dental decay is by brushing your teeth thoroughly twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, making sure that you brush the inner, outer and biting surfaces of your teeth.
Using ‘interdental’ brushes, or dental floss or tape also helps remove plaque and food from between your teeth and where they meet the gums. These are areas an ordinary toothbrush cannot reach.
Follow the above advice on sugar consumption and visit your dentist twice a year so they can check for any decay and offer further preventative advice.
The Dentists and Dental Hygienists at Apollonia House are happy to offer any prevention advice. Call 01457 821800 or email smile@apolloniahouse.com
For more information you can also visit the British Dental Health Foundation website: www.dentalhealth.org
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