Posted by Dr. Bill Williams on May 8, 2017 · Leave a Comment
We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter!
Everybody knows Easter is a holiday filled with sweet, sweet treats. Easter candy is loaded with sugar, which is obviously not a great recipe toward managing your child’s oral health. Don’t let us fool you – our team loves our desserts – in moderation! Too much of a sugary treat can be detrimental to your little one’s teeth. As your child digs through his or her Easter basket, consider these different types of candy and how they can affect your child’s smile!
1.) The Sticky Sweets
However melt-in-your-mouth-fantastic these candies may be, don’t over-indulge! These caramels, taffies and gummies can cling to your child’s teeth for hours, hiding in hard-to-reach crevices and growing bacteria. Bacteria in our mouths feed off of sugar to create acidic reactions, so when sticky sweets sit between our teeth for long periods of time, acids begin to damage our enamel.
2.) The Rock-Hard Candies
Lollipops and other hard candy take a while to eat, exposing your child’s teeth to sugar for an extended amount of time. The longer his or her teeth are exposed to sugars, the more chances there are for decay and cavities. In addition to acidic damage, rock-hard candies can also break your kid’s teeth! Ouch!
3.) The Sour Stuff
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most acidic of them all? That’s right – sour treats, although a candy classic, contain an incredible amount of harmful acids. If your child’s enamel didn’t suffer from the sticky sweets, these pucker-inducing candies should do the trick!
Believe it or not, the healthiest Easter candy for your child’s smile is – drumroll, please – chocolate! In moderation, chocolate and other sugar-free treats are a few great ways to give your child some healthier alternatives to Easter candy. Candies containing nuts, if your child is not allergic, can be a great way to break up the sugary consistency of these treats and dark chocolate contains antioxidants that can actually help with the effects of tooth decay.
Remind your children to always brush and floss after indulging in their Easter candy!
