How to keep a healthy smile intact, even with the odd Easter egg!

Easter will soon be upon us, and, as anyone who has children will know, it is seen by some as an excuse to (over) indulge in the consumption of chocolate, usually in the form of Easter eggs.

These are now rarely just shells made of chocolate as in the past, but will often have extra sweets and chocolates inside, adding to the amount of sugar eaten.

There is no reason why we should deprive ourselves of a little indulgence at this time of the year, especially if you make sure to, otherwise, take good care of your teeth. With this in mind, our Clock Tower Dental Clinic team have put together their top nine suggestions as to how our Epsom patients can enjoy their Easter eggs and still maintain healthy teeth!

Clean your teeth – This one is pretty obvious. Especially when you have been eating a lot of additional chocolate, cleaning your teeth is important. If you have children, who may well be excitable at all the extra chocolate, make sure to supervise them when they clean their teeth, especially at bedtime. No ‘last minute’ chocolate treats after their have cleaned their teeth either.

Keep consumption to regular times – Sugar on its own isn’t the entire problem; it is also how and when it is eaten. If we eat our regular meals and then eat the Easter eggs in between, we may not be allowing our teeth time to recover and this can lead to additional damage due to the enamel of our teeth softening after eating. As far as you can, try to eat your Easter eggs at the end of the meal and give your teeth a break in between.

Drink water – Easter eggs are bad enough, but chocolate can make children thirsty. Make sure that they keep their mouths and bodies refreshed with plain old water and try to avoid fizzy drinks. These enamel stripping drinks will only add to the problem of the additional sugar consumption, whilst water will also help to wash away some of the excess sugars, especially those stuck between the teeth.

Avoid stickier treats – Try to avoid the stickier type of sweets when you buy your Easter eggs. Contents such as soft toffee or fondants, such as those in a well known brand of small Easter egg, will really stick to your teeth and are best avoided if you can.

Suggest alternatives – We are not saying that children shouldn’t have their Easter eggs, but it is likely that, unless we take action, they may end up with several of them, often from relatives. Try to find out if there is anything that your child would rather have as a small gift, rather than chocolate. As long as they receive one egg, they may well be prepared to swap the additional ones for other small gifts that they enjoy.

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Advice for Epsom smokers.

It is no great secret that smoking is bad for you. Study after study has shown that smoking is a major contributor to lung diseases, heart attacks and strokes, to say nothing of our general ability to take part in physical activities. Only someone with the type of belief that thinks that the earth is flat could genuinely believe that smoking is a harmless pursuit.

It isn’t just our general health that smoking affects though. Our teeth, gums and mouth in general are all affected by it. This is logical of course, as the smoke inhaled often lingers in the mouth for a while before being expelled. At the Clock Tower Dental Clinic in Epsom, we believe that stopping smoking is essential if you want to have good oral health, and here’s why.

Oral cancers

Let’s start with the most serious issue, oral, or mouth, cancers. These are on the rise and can result in disfiguration, or even death. Like most diseases though, if they are detected early on, the prognosis, following treatment, is likely to be more positive. To aid with this, if we detect any suspicious bumps or other potential indicators during your examination, we will refer you to your GP. This is a precautionary approach and does not mean that you definitely have cancer. There may well be other factors at play, but your GP will be able to diagnose this, or refer you to a specialist. We are simply on the front line, and, as we examine our patients every six months or so, are in an excellent position to spot any issues early on.

Oral cancers, even if treated, can lead to problems with speech and even swallowing. Stopping smoking before this happens to you is clearly the way to go!

Gum disease

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Dietary advice for good oral health, compiled by your Epsom dental team.

When it comes to discussing good oral health, many things come into play. Avoiding, or at least reducing, sugar in our diet is one of them.

We also need to make sure that we look after our teeth well at home, and see a dentist every six months for a regular check up.

Our family genes also play a role and even the best diet in the world may not help you to avoid treatment if your ‘dental genes’ are not as good as they could be.

There are other things that you can do though, and diet again plays a role in this. Our bodies need a good level of nutrition to function at their best, and our teeth are no different. In today’s Clock Tower Dental Clinic blog, we take a look at some types of food that are important to help maintain strong and healthy teeth.

Cheese

Whilst we are not saying that you should eat a large amount of cheese, something which may not be good for your heart; a moderate amount of cheese is very helpful for healthy teeth. Not only does it contain calcium and proteins, both of which are essential for strong enamel, but also neutralises some acids that can damage our teeth. So eating a small quantity of cheese at the end of a meal can actually help to protect your teeth!

Yoghurts

Again, yoghurt, as with most dairy products, contains calcium and proteins. If you buy a good quality yoghurt though, and one that is not full of sugar, they also often contain live bacteria that are helpful for your mouth and gut and will help to minimise the damage that harmful bacteria can cause.

Apples

Although apples, like all fruits, do contain natural sugars, they also offer benefits too. The sweetness of an apple, along with the high water content, has a tendency to make us salivate as we eat them. This increase in saliva helps to wash away the bacteria and food particles that may have become trapped between our teeth. Of course this is not a substitute for brushing our teeth, but is certainly a helpful addition.

Crunchy vegetables

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NHS dental care has provided for many patients over the years, but increasingly, it is unable to offer what many patients want.

The Clock Tower Dental Practice is privately run. Like NHS practices, all of our dentists have to adhere to guidelines and regulations laid down by bodies such as the General Dental Council.

By offering private dental care though, we are able to offer our Epsom patients a much wider range of treatments than can be found in NHS only practices.

Over the years, funding for NHS dentistry has arguably not kept up with some people’s expectations and covers, more or less, only the basic essentials. Indeed, in the government’s announcement of £20bn for NHS funding yesterday, there was no mention of any being allocated to dental care (reference). If this comes to pass, this can only put an additional squeeze on NHS dental care, perhaps restricting options even more.

The benefits of private dental care

Although NHS dental care does offer patients ease of access to essential services, it also denies access to many newer treatments that may have superseded older ones. A classic case in point would be the use of dental implants to replace missing teeth, rather than using dentures. The difference in experiences of both of these restorative methods indicates that NHS patients are missing out on an opportunity to have what many consider to be the best tooth replacement system possible.

Private dental care also means that there is more money available to spend on the practice facilities too. Whilst we have no doubt that NHS practices have their patient’s best interests at heart and provide a safe service, funding constraints often mean that things like the waiting room are somewhat basic. Whilst this isn’t the most important thing when choosing a dentist; at the Clock Tower Dental Practice, we like to offer our patients the best overall experience possible. Whilst we try to keep waiting times to a minimum, we also like to provide a pleasant and relaxing environment whilst waiting for an appointment. This has particular relevance for nervous dental patients, with a relaxing environment hopefully helping to take their mind off their appointment a little.

Treatments – some differences

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