Do you have a sweet tooth? Join the club. For many of our patients at The Center for Dental Anesthesia in Alexandria VA, it’s not realistic to recommend avoiding sugary treats; especially so close to Halloween!
If you fit that category, here is something useful to know: eating sweets at certain times is better for your teeth than others. For instance, when you eat a full meal, your saliva production increases. Saliva is necessary to neutralize acids and rinse bits of food off of teeth.
That means that sweets consumed after meals have a lower risk to your teeth, because your mouth is already in optimum cleansing mode. Sweets after meals are preferable to sweets eaten between meals as snacks.
Additionally, remember that the type of treat is as important as when you eat it. We constantly remind our patients that sticky candies stay on your teeth for a long time, even when your saliva is flowing. And hard candies that you suck for an extended time give bacteria a perfect environment to create dangerous enamel-weakening acids.
A good choice? Chocolate! A lot of our patients are happy to hear that. Ordinary chocolate melts quickly away and won’t stick to your teeth.
At The Center for Dental Anesthesia in Alexandria VA, our services include family dentistry. People throughout Northern Virgina, Fairfax, and Prince William County also come to us for cosmetic and restorative dentistry. Contact us today to prepare for the candy-filled holidays!
Contact Center for Dental Anesthesia:
703-379-6400
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
5284 Dawes Ave
Alexandria, Virginia
22311
