If you are anything like us here at Heroes Dental, you might be a bit surprised by how fast the year is going by. It’s already Semana Santa!
Hopefully, you’ll get the opportunity to spend a day at the beach and maybe even crack a couple of confetti-filled eggs on the top of your favorite cousin’s head. Of course, it wouldn’t be Easter without a certain visitor swinging by and leaving a few candy-filled eggs lying around. While this is definitely a highlight of the holiday, these special treats can be extremely harmful to you and your little one’s teeth.
Before you let the Easter Bunny stop by, you should take into consideration just what kind of candies they’ll be leaving your little hero. Let the Rio Grande Valley family dentists at Heroes Dental give you the scoop on which candies to avoid and which are relatively safe (and delicious) to eat.
The Big Easter Candy No-Nos
There’s an unwritten rule about candies that you should follow: the stickier the candy and the longer it takes to eat it, the worst it is for your teeth. This means anything gummy, like gummy bears or gummy worms, while they might seem harmless, are in fact horrible for your oral health. The sticky substance can easily get stuck in crevices and hard to reach places, providing the perfect source of food for cavity-causing bacteria.
Other Easter candy no-nos include hard candies like Ring Pops, Jolly Ranchers, lollipops and Shock Tarts, which can all be extremely damaging to teeth, especially for our little ones.
These hard candies are not so different from gummies. They both take a long time to consume, which leads to more exposure to their damaging acids and sugars. On top of that, since they are “hard candies”, they have the potential to possibly chip a tooth – and that’s definitely one Easter break you don’t want to deal with.
Better Easter Candy Options
Who doesn’t enjoy a bit (or a lot) of chocolate every now and then? You might be surprised to find that dark chocolate can actually be OK for your teeth. In comparison to milk chocolate candies, dark chocolate has a lot less processed sugars, and also carries plenty of natural antioxidants that can actually help to fight against plaque while lessening the risk of developing cavities.
There are also sugar-free candies. While the name might not sound attractive, one should never judge a book by its cover. If you dig deep enough, you might find something that’s actually great – taste-wise and for your teeth! All it really takes is a quick trip to your local grocery store or a simple Internet search. (Here’s a website you can get some ideas from.)
And for another Easter tip, make sure to drink plenty of water to wash down all those bits and pieces of candy that might’ve gotten stuck between your teeth. The water will also help to lessen the effects of all that harmful acid.
After it’s all said and done, make sure to brush and floss those precious teeth of yours so you can have a hero’s smile!