EDMONTON – One massive splurge or little indulgences over a longer period of time? Which of these approaches will do less harm to your pearly whites?
The answer may not be what you expect.
“You’re more likely to get a caries event – or a cavity – when you have multiple exposures over time than you are with one big exposure,” said Dr. Kathryn Sandilands, a dentist at Whitemud Dental. “It just weakens the enamel, every time you have an acid event, it takes some of the mineral out of the enamel and you get a weak spot.”
Sandilands suggests indulging once, then getting rid of the candy.
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“Any time that you have multiple exposures with something like candy that breaks down into an acid, you’re way more prone to cavities in the long haul.
“If you can do one big dig in and enjoy the candy and then somehow slide the rest out the back door, that’s better.”
That might be a hard sell for younger trick-or-treaters, though. If they do sneak a treat, Sandilands says there are ways to lessen the impact on their teeth.
“They can follow it up with something like a piece of sharp cheese. What we want to do is neutralize the environment in the mouth after they’ve had the acidic exposure.”
She says brushing immediately after eating acidic foods is also helpful.
At the end of the day, Sandilands promotes having fun while exercising good old common sense.
“I think everything in moderation. I think when you make it a forbidden thing for kids, it becomes something that they can’t stay away from. Enjoy it. Halloween comes once a year, just make sure you don’t have the candy until next year.”
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