Diwali and Weddings! In India, festivals, celebrations and weddings are a part of our culture and life! But are festivals and celebrations complete without sweets?? It comprises of a week-long holiday where family friends get together, shop, light crackers, and of course, eat sweets! It’s a time for relishing a variety of mouth-watering sweet delicacies like Gujiya, Kaju Barfi, Gulab jamun, besan chikki, shakkar para, besan ladoo, and many types of ‘ladoos’ and home-made dishes, that are prepared differently from house to house.

Be it family gatherings or visits from friends, the first thing offered during the festive season is a tray filled with lip-smacking dishes!

Once the celebrations are over, the time comes for you to visit a dentist. But you must wonder why you need to do so ? Well, it’s because even though sugary foods may gel really well with the taste buds of the tongue, they are foes of the teeth if proper dental care is not undertaken.

Fun facts about this tumultuous relationship between the teeth and sugary foods:

Q:- Did you know that the normal human mouth contains over 800 species of bacteria?

Most of which are harmless to the teeth. Under normal circumstances, there is a balance between the bacteria and the oral environment, which keeps the teeth caries-free.

However, when one consumes sweets, those 800 species of bacteria are disrupted. Some of them are made active and they start damaging the tooth surface as a result of this.

Here is a process flow to illustrate the consumption of sugary foods better:

Dental Decay Process

Cavities may result in tooth pain

Tooth pain is easily identifiable, too. If consumption of foods and drinks results in sharp pain and a radiating sensation for a few seconds after consumption, this is nothing but an indicator of sensitivity of the teeth resulting from cavity formation. This pain can even be experienced while breathing in cold air, and it can come and go. Unfortunately, it’s quite common to only realize the damage once the cavity is formed and the pain sensation is experience. It is advisable to thus have regular dental check-ups, to monitor one’s oral health before cavities are formed.

Funnily enough, roughly half of the population has experienced tooth sensitivity at least once in their lifetime.

But Wait!! It doesn’t end there:

Through the cavity, these bacteria slide down and reach the root of your teeth, and then their celebrations begin – They eat, drink and party and eventually cause the entire tooth to decay.

The job has been done, Decaying of the tooth causes pain, swelling and abscesses.

The first thing that triggers and rings the alarm in your brain about a toothache will be with the symptoms of sensitivity, which you will feel instantly after having sweets or cold water or even inhaling very cold air and disappears once the food is ingested.

By this time you should know that, damage has already been done to your teeth, the next thing you can do is prevention, as a wise man said, Prevention is better than cure! It is time to live that adage.

If it is due to tooth decay, a filling may be needed.  If the sensitivity is due to a broken tooth, a filling or full coverage crown and root canal may be required. But in case sensitivity is due to exposed enamel or dentin, a toothpaste intended for sensitive teeth may help, such as Elsenz, Sensodyne, Colgate Sensitive or Floridex.

These toothpaste are specifically manufactured for sensitive teeth, as they block the dentinal tubules and prevent from sensitivity.

Brushing your teeth twice and flossing regularly is also recommended.

Q:- How can we have sweets without getting into such problems? Is that possible?

A:- YES you can!

We know it is not humanly manageable to avoid the sweet indulgences especially during  festival season, So here is what you need to do post festivals and weddings to keep your smile healthy and sparkling white:

• Eating sweets along with meals will avert the sugar from clinging on to the teeth
• Avoid having sugary stuff before going to bed, as this will provide plenty of time for the bacteria to deposit on your teeth.
• Rinsing your mouth thoroughly after every sweet or acidic drink to dilute the sugars is highly recommended.
• Rinse your mouth and brush your teeth after every meal to get rid of the food particles in the mouth specially in between teeth.
• Brushing twice a day and flossing will prevent the food lodgement, enhance and brighten your smile.

No Pain, No Gain, but when it comes to Dental Pain there is definitely No Gain. So don’t live with that attitude of negligence.

So, now that the festivals are over, make sure your smile continues to sparkle like a beautiful glowing diamond. Spreading smiles brings more sweetness in others lives. A sweetness which is caries free. So value your smile and visit your dentist regularly once in 6 months