Eat sweets and keep your smile cavity-free: Dentist shares advice
Dentist explains how to reduce sugar damage (photo: Freepik)
Some popular foods can seriously damage teeth, from chewing gum and candy to sodas. Learn how to minimize harm and what to do after eating these treats to keep your smile healthy from Ukrainian dentist and chief physician Iryna Pilkh, who has over 17 years of experience.
Foods that harm teeth
These include foods that tend to stick to teeth, such as chewing gum, candy, pastries, chocolate, and other sugary carbohydrates.
According to the expert, dental hygiene is especially important until around the ages of 14–15, as this is when the enamel fully matures and is most resistant to cavities. After this age, the risk of decay significantly decreases.
The main reason teeth often start to decay in children is during the eruption of permanent teeth. Kids often lack the motivation or habits for proper dental care, making parental supervision crucial.
What to do after eating sweets
The dentist recommends that if a child eats a pastry or candy, they should be encouraged to brush their teeth immediately or at least within 30–60 minutes. The key is to clean teeth right away to reduce the risk of damage.
It doesn’t always require toothpaste; simply wetting the toothbrush with water and brushing mechanically to remove food particles is effective.
The same advice applies to adults. People with a high risk of cavities or many existing fillings should brush more frequently and pay extra attention to such foods.
Earlier, we shared what to do after every meal to keep teeth healthy.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
