It is that time of year when sweet treats seem to be everywhere. You do not want to be a killjoy, but at the same time you want to keep your family’s teeth strong and healthy. So how can you minimise the effects of sugar over Christmas?

Include sugary treats as part of a main meal

By including sugary foods during a main meal, you will help reduce the time teeth are bathed in the acids produced by mouth bacteria after eating something sweet or high in carbohydrates. Ideally, after eating sugary foods, finish your meal with some cheese as it contains calcium which will help protect your teeth and the protein and fat in cheese has a protective effect against the acids in your mouth.

Do not brush immediately after eating

It might seem like the right thing to do, but brushing your teeth immediately after eating sugar-laden foods could increase the damage to your teeth as the acid softens your tooth enamel. Instead, rinse your mouth with water and wait at least half an hour for the acidity levels to begin to normalise before brushing.

Choose chocolate over sticky sweets

Chocolate melts relatively easily and is more likely to be washed away by saliva than sticky sweets that can stick to teeth for hours.

Sugar-free drinks and sweets are not risk-free

Recent research carried out at Melbourne University found that sugar-free foods can still harm teeth as these foods can have high levels of citric acids that will erode tooth enamel. It pays to read the labels and to just choose the occasional sweet treat that you will really relish eating.