Have you ever noticed the Easter Bunny’s teeth?

Toothtastic Easter tips inside…

With Easter just around the corner, let’s stop and think for a moment about the state of the Easter Bunny’s teeth. A little long in the tooth, perhaps, but we at Growing Smiles have never seen an Easter bunny with anything other than clean and fresh pearly whites.

So, what’s the secret?

The Easter Bunny doesn’t necessarily consume what is being delivered. In recent years, the Easter Bunny has also become wise to tooth decay and has shared some great tips and advice with Growing Smile.

The Easter Bunny doesn’t HAVE to deliver treats in an edible form! Some families request that the Easter Bunny brings a different type of Easter gift, for example a book, a day out or a game. A fun Easter Activity can include hard boiling an egg and painting/decorating it. Tooth friendly colouring sheets and more here.

Most children look forward to chocolate eggs at Easter (many adults too) – we are partial to a sweet treat too! Chocolate isn’t the worst sweet treat, particularly if eaten at meal times e.g. straight after lunch when the chances are teeth will be exposed to some sort of acid attack ANYWAY. Chocolate clears from the mouth pretty easily. Add sipping water to help this self cleansing process. Sticky sweets, toffees and even dried fruit such as raisins are known less ‘safe’ treats as they have a tendency to stick to the teeth and hang around for longer meaning plaque bacteria can cause more damage. Your teeth take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours to completely recover from acid attack after sugar…. and that relies on you having good saliva flow. Dehydration and a dry mouth up the danger potential.

The Easter Bunny has also, over the years, taken to offering Dr John’s sugar-free Xylitol & Erythritol lollipops which are GOOD for the teeth, helping reduce the risk of tooth decay. These lollipops are shaped just like a tooth…or perhaps, the tooth of an Easter bunny (!), and are available in a range of flavours. The xylitol is great for humans, but can make dogs very poorly, so we remind you to please keep these lollies away from your furry friends. Not a lolly kind of person? Try some of the other sugar free sweet treats found here.

Whatever happens this Easter, remember we are all human. Chocolatey Easter treats aren’t the end of the world, particularly if consumed in moderation and at meal times. The worst thing to do is to graze on sweet treats all day. Keep water to hand to help rinse and clear the mouth and don’t go to be without brushing every surface and the gum line of all teeth with fluoride toothpaste. Don’t rinse with water after brushing. Let the fluoride turbo charge the remineralisation process – healing the teeth after a sugar acid attack. Learn more about the decay process here.

So what will we get up to at Growing Smiles this Easter?

• Some family fun time. An Easter egg hunt for sure. Spending time together (hopefully outdoors). Kids love finding things – they don’t have to be chocolate. Give them a basket and let them roam! (We’ve been hiding the same eggs multiple times but don’t tell our small humans!)
• A scavenger hunt can work indoors or outdoors. Make it age appropriate.
• How about getting a couple of small plants for them to put in the garden or a pot? Children love to dig and get dirty! Then watch them grow.
• Egg rolling. Decorate hard boiled eggs then roll down the nearest hill (we have an abundance of vertical challenges!).
• Jigsaw puzzles, family games and reading books are all popular here.
• Go for a walk – and look up regularly – its amazing what you might spot that has gone over your head before!

No doubt you have lots of ideas to spend time with family and friends at Easter. We’d love to hear about them. Our motto is don’t spend a fortune, spend time.. it is the elusive challenge of modern life for so many. Enjoy Easter, how ever and with whomever you spend it, and of course don’t forget to brush before bed! 🙂

When is Best to Brush?

At Growing Smiles, we recommend you brush your teeth twice a day, the most important time being before bed and also, another time of the day (most people choose when they get up) using a fluoride toothpaste, such as BiominF or Biosmalto which offer extra protection for your teeth! This toothpaste has options suitable for both adults and children and we are big fans. Perhaps, a treat for teeth this Easter…?

So what’s on our wishlist from the Easter Bunny? A chocolate egg (yes, we are human here at Growing Smiles), xylitol & erythritol lollipops and Biosmalto or BioMinF, for an enjoyable Easter, with an element of self-care thrown in. Happy Easter!

Our Easter Favourites