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Stores are full of Halloween paraphernalia and are already piling up stocks of sweets and other goodies for eager Trick or Treaters. While it is a fun celebration, all the sugar in those sweet treats can harm your teeth unless you have a plan.

The reason why sweets are so bad for your dental health is because of bacteria naturally present in your mouth, and these are just as excited as you are to eat sugary foods. These bacteria thrive on leftover particles in your mouth and thank you by producing a weak acid that softens your tooth enamel, contributing to your risk of cavities. However, there is no need to cancel your Halloween plans just yet as eating sweets on the day probably won’t do too much harm to your teeth, provided you follow a good oral care routine every day, all year round. Also, it can help tremendously if you choose your sweets wisely, as some are better for your teeth than others.

Chocolate

If you love your chocolate, there is some good news, as it’s probably one of the better sweets to eat on Halloween. This is because chocolate quickly melts and is more easily washed away by saliva. It’s even better news if you love dark chocolate because it is lower in sugar than milk chocolate.

Sticky Sweets

Sticky sweets might be fun to eat, but they are hard to remove from your teeth and are some of the worst around for your dental health. The longer sweets stick to your teeth, the more time those harmful bacteria can spend getting to work, producing more acid to attack your tooth enamel.

Hard Sweets

Some hard sweets seem to last forever, and the longer they last, the more your teeth are bathed in sugar. Also, some of these hard sweets can break your teeth if you happen to bite down too hard, so approach hard candies with caution.

Sour Sweets

Sour lollies may make you pucker up with pleasure, but they can be very acidic. The acidity will weaken your tooth enamel, worsening the effect of the acids already produced by bacteria and making your teeth more vulnerable to cavities.

Popcorn

Popcorn may seem relatively healthy, but some kernels, especially unpopped ones, can get stuck between your teeth. Inadvertently biting down on an unpopped kernel can crack or chip your teeth. Popcorn is especially bad if it is sticky and sugary. If you enjoy eating popcorn, make sure you have some dental floss handy afterwards.

Brush and Floss After Your Sugar Fix

It’s better to enjoy your sweet treats all at once, preferably after a main meal. Ideally, swish your mouth with water afterwards to help wash away any loose food particles. Wait at least thirty minutes before brushing your teeth, as this gives your mouth a chance to become less acidic. As the pH levels normalise, your tooth enamel will re-harden slightly, so it’s safe to brush and floss without damaging your teeth.

Many people look forward to their first cup of coffee in the morning or rely on an afternoon hit of caffeine to keep them going. If you love a cup of coffee, no matter when you drink it, it can stain your smile. The same applies if you like a cup of tea or enjoy other highly coloured beverages. However, if you can’t bear the thought of giving up your coffee, there are some things you can do to help slow down the rate of staining.

1. Think about sipping your coffee through a straw. Nowadays, it’s easy to buy reusable straws that you can keep with you wherever you are.
2. Purchase a good quality whitening toothpaste to help reduce tooth stains. Make sure it is a reputable brand, as some whitening toothpaste can be quite abrasive. Remember that whitening toothpaste can only slightly brighten your smile, so the effect will not be dramatic.
3. After drinking your coffee, rinse your mouth with plain water, swishing it around thoroughly to help remove any leftover coffee from your teeth.
4. Try brushing your teeth after having your cup of coffee to help remove surface stains. Keep a small tube of toothpaste and travel toothbrush with you to freshen up while out and about.

How We Can Help You Maintain a Beautiful White Smile

These measures will help to slow down the rate of staining, but if you continue to drink coffee, then it is inevitable that your teeth will eventually become discoloured. One way you can slow down the rate of staining even further is by making sure you book regular hygiene appointments with us.

We recommend patients have their teeth professionally cleaned every six months or sometimes more frequently if they have ongoing dental or health problems. The whole point of having your teeth cleaned professionally is to protect your dental health and reduce your risk of gum disease and tooth decay, but these appointments are also a great way to freshen up your smile. After we have professionally cleaned your teeth, we carefully polish them, and this part of the treatment helps to remove some surface stains. Afterwards, you should notice that your teeth look slightly brighter and have a bit more sparkle to them.

Alternatively, if you want a more substantial improvement to your tooth colour, talk to us about professional teeth whitening treatments. These are the best way to brighten your smile quickly and safely and are affordable. You can choose to whiten your teeth in our dental practice, and in as little as an hour, your teeth will be several shades whiter.

We can provide a custom whitening kit if you prefer to whiten more slowly and have more control over the process. You use the kit as directed, and your teeth will be considerably whiter in two weeks or so. One advantage of having a home whitening kit is that you can almost certainly reuse it later on, as we can prescribe more whitening gel when you need to top up the results. Some people choose to have an in-chair whitening treatment first before continuing to whiten their teeth at home, using a custom kit for an optimal treatment outcome. We can discuss all possible options with you during your consultation.

When socialising with others, do you smile with your mouth closed? It’s a common issue and can be due to smile anxiety; this is where we can help. Our dental team can make you feel better and more confident about your smile by providing focused treatment plans to relieve anxiety and improve oral health.

Common causes of smile anxiety include:

Bad Breath

Fear of having bad breath is very common, and people who suspect their breath is less than fresh will often cover their mouth with their hands or will mumble to avoid breathing too close to someone and causing offence. If you think you have bad breath, there is no need to be embarrassed as we can help you, and this problem, called halitosis, is usually easy to correct once we determine the cause. Sometimes it’s due to poor oral hygiene, an untreated dental problem, or can be a side-effect of certain medications.

Dingy Stained Teeth

If you have noticed that your teeth have gradually become yellower and stained as you get older, you are not alone, and it is a common complaint. Teeth can become discoloured because of lifestyle choices like smoking or eating and drinking highly coloured foods or acid erosion, where tooth enamel becomes thinner, letting more of the natural colour of your teeth shine through. Whatever the reason, cosmetic dentistry can help and often is as simple and affordable as whitening your teeth professionally. Other options include dental veneers to cover the front surface of badly stained teeth or dental crowns to cover teeth entirely.

Missing Teeth

A missing tooth in your smile line can be embarrassing, especially when it is right in the front of your mouth. Luckily several solutions can help restore missing teeth. Options include a dental bridge or a dental implant tooth. A dental flipper or one tooth denture can be a temporary fix while you decide how best to replace it. Usually, dental implants are the preferred choice because they are a long-term solution for tooth loss and, over the course of a lifetime, can be the cheapest option. Otherwise, a dental bridge can be a good choice if the adjacent teeth could do with covering up and protecting with dental crowns that will support the replacement tooth.

Crooked Teeth

Very few people have perfectly straight teeth; even if you wore braces during childhood, you might have seen your teeth shift with age. If you have crooked teeth and are embarrassed about your smile, modern orthodontics can help. Potential solutions include clear plastic aligners that are virtually invisible to gently yet firmly move teeth into the proper positions. Treatment may be as quick as just a few months if the problems are cosmetically oriented and only affect your front teeth. Otherwise, more complex problems affecting your bite will take a year or more to correct, but it can be well worth the effort. This is because orthodontic treatment can also be an excellent investment in your oral health, ensuring it is easy to brush and floss your teeth thoroughly, reducing your risk of dental diseases like tooth decay and gum disease.