The Most Tooth-Friendly Way To Eat Easter Eggs

Easter is coming, and that means chocolate.

I’m eagerly anticipating unwrapping my stash of eggs. But according to the dentist and founder of Dimples, Dr Pippa Nicholls, some methods of eating them might affect our teeth worse than others.

“Naturally, many people assume it’s healthier to nibble a corner of an Easter egg or grab a handful of mini eggs throughout the day,” she said.

But if you want to look after your teeth, she advised an approach similar to Sweden’s lördagsgodis.

The Swedish tradition literally translates to “Saturday sweets”.

It limits the consumption of sweets to Saturday, when kids (and, presumably, sweet-toothed adults) can go to town on their favourite sugary snacks. The only catch is that they steer clear of candy for the rest of the week.

Designed to limit tooth decay, it seems to have had some benefits. Though a typical Swedish family of four consumes about a kilo of sweets a week, Swedish children have better dental health, on average, than their European counterparts.

“When it comes to your teeth, it’s actually much better to enjoy sweet treats in one sitting,” Dr Nicholls said.

It doesn’t have to be on Saturday, though, so long as you’re not constantly grazing on sweets throughout the day, which can damage your enamel.

Adopting the more Swedish approach “Gives your teeth time to recover, rather than constantly exposing them to sugar, and can even help prevent the cycle of grazing that often leads to eating more overall, particularly in children.”

The dentist added, “I always recommend [eating Easter eggs] at the end of a meal. Not only will it help crush the sweet treat craving, it also is when the saliva flow is increased and will be the most protective to your teeth.”

Yes. You might think that brushing your teeth immediately after consuming chocolate is the best way to flush the sugar away, but Dr Nicholls said that could actually backfire.

“Try to wait around 30 minutes before brushing your teeth after eating chocolate or sugary treats. Brushing immediately can actually strip minerals from the enamel while the mouth remains acidic, so giving your teeth time to rebalance helps protect them,” she explained.

Lastly, “Choosing dark chocolate or treats made with less refined sugars, such as unrefined cane or coconut sugar, can help reduce the amount of refined sugar available for bacteria in the mouth to feed on. Dark chocolate is also often more satisfying due to its rich flavour, which can naturally help limit how much we eat.”