How to Maintain Good Oral Health This Easter

Whether or not you happen to celebrate or observe Easter, there’s no doubt that sugary temptations are at an all-time high during this particular time of year. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth and can’t resist all the tooth-damaging candy that can wreak havoc on your oral health, then you need to keep your family dentist in Toronto on standby for a check-up.

7 Important Dental Hygiene Tips for Easter

In case you’re unable to get to a dental clinic in Toronto any time soon, here are seven good oral hygiene tips you can follow that should hold you over for the time being.

Choose Your Sweets Carefully

Quantity and quality control are both equally important when it comes to junk food consumption. With sweets in particular, it’s best to stay away from hard candies, cookies, milk or white chocolate, caramels, and marshmallow-based snacks. Unfortunately, all of these are available in abundance during any holiday season, especially Easter and Valentine’s Day. If you absolutely can’t control your cravings, the best sweet indulgent choice is dark chocolate by a landslide because it still contains some nutritional value and won’t damage your teeth as much as the other sweets.

Save Treats for Dessert

One of the worst habits you can form for your waistline and your dental health is consuming sweets consistently throughout the day. Saving them for special occasions or specific times of the day such as an after-meal dessert or treat will help you regulate how much junk food you eat. This will help prevent tooth decay and keep your dentist happy for at least one more visit.

Rinse Your Teeth after Every Meal

You should be doing this after every meal or snack anyway to get rid of excess food particles, but it’s an especially helpful practice during holidays that are centered on large family meals.

Brush and Floss Regularly

From a young age, you should be brushing your teeth twice daily—once in the morning and once before bed—and flossing nightly. This will prevent plaque from forming between your teeth and eroding through the protective layer of enamel that shields the soft layer of dentine beneath. Once this happens, the enamel cannot regenerate itself and your dentist will have to give you a filling to prevent further damage or tooth decay.

Drink Lots of Water

Try to limit your intake of sugary and carbonated beverages, coffee and tea as these can all stain your teeth and lead to progressive tooth decay. Many of these drinks contain components that dehydrate your body and this can also lead to tooth decay in your mouth. The best way to remedy this is by drinking a lot of water to counteract the effects of high-fructose and sugar containing foods and beverages that damage your teeth. Water rehydrates your system and effectively creates more saliva to clear out food particles in your mouth.

Chew Sugar-Free Gum

Chewing sugar-free gum has the same effect as drinking water. It helps your mouth to generate more saliva, which actively cleans out your mouth and effectively prevents harmful bacteria from forming.

Ask Your Family Dentist for Advice

Your dentist is an oral and dental hygiene expert, which means they should be able to provide personalized advice for your specific health needs.

Visit a Dental Care Clinic in Toronto

Princeview Dental Group is a respected dental care clinic in Toronto and has been serving The Kingsway community for over 20 years. We’ve helped patients with a variety of dental issues from routine cleanings to severe dental emergencies and we administer treatment to people of all ages. To book a consultation, call us at (416) 231-4562.