Look after your teeth this Easter period

With all the sugary goodness of Easter this month, you may want to consider visiting our dental practice

For many of us in Bolton, Easter is a time to reflect on religious lessons learned, but it also means chocolate eggs; lots of them in all different shapes and sizes! That said, there is a real government drive to promote health at the moment and sugar is on the hit list.

Food manufacturers are being asked not just to reveal the sugar content of the foods they make more explicitly, but also cut down on it. The so-called sugar tax is gaining popularity politically and may become law, but until then we have to deal with the temptation and aftermath of all that lovely chocolate!

What does sugar do to our teeth?

Our tooth enamel is constantly working hard to keep our teeth strong and protect us from acids and harmful bacterias. It does this by replacing lost minerals; a process called demineralisation. However, some harmful bacterias, which are present in the mouth, feed on the sugar we eat and a result of this is the erosion of our tooth enamel.

If the tooth enamel is weakened, it cannot replace minerals and the attack on our teeth becomes more intense. When tooth enamel becomes so weakened that a cavity forms, you will experience pain until a filling is applied, or you lose the affected tooth.

How can we protect our teeth in Bolton?

We can protect our teeth by reducing our sugar intake. This is why the government is pushing for food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar they use in preparing food. However, at Easter, many of us do naturally find ourselves eating more sugar than normal, so what can be done?

Brushing our teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste is important because fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and the action of brushing should remove food deposits from our teeth. It’s worth having a check up with your Bolton dentist regularly too, because even though we may brush our teeth thoroughly every day, there is still a good chance that we’re missing bits and those are the areas that are going to suffer damage.

As we’ve already mentioned, decay can lead to cavities and potentially even to tooth loss, but when food deposits build up along the gumline, there’s also a chance you could begin to suffer with gum disease. If your gums are tender, swollen or even bleeding, there is a chance you already have it and left unchecked, gum disease has been associated with the far more serious health conditions; heart problems and diabetes.

If it’s been a while since you last visited your dentist, why not consider getting in touch for a check up? This small dental commitment could prevent you from developing advanced dental problems and will also show your kids the right techniques for toothbrushing to help set them up for a lifetime of healthy teeth.

If you’re currently experiencing tooth pain, we would strongly recommend you get in touch with us at our Bolton dental practice as soon as possible.