Easter Bunnies, Eggs and Gum Disease

I hope you guys all had a wonderful Easter, and a relaxing long weekend! Mine was filled with a bunch of family get togethers, and I am filled with a bunch of chocolate! Track practice tomorrow morning should insure that I won't be rolling into school this week, but I need to focus on my teeth especially!
All the sugary junk we had over the holiday can really cause damage to our mouthes. Sugar is a major contributor to tooth decay, which affects 84% of teenagers, as it is ultimately acid exposed to our tooth enamel (which protects our teeth.) We can minimize this problem by eating less sugar of course, but also when and how we eat it, such as:
-Eating suagry or starchy foods with a meal! This is less harmful then eating them alone due to the increased production of saliva, which helps to wash away the sugar and bacteria.
-It's always important to brush your teeth (with flouride toothpaste) after meals, and sugary treats, but especially before bed time because we don't produce as much saliva when we sleep (you do remember from the last point that saliva helps wash away sugars and bacteria right?)
 -If you don't have the chance to brush your teeth after treats rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash or even chew gum (sugarless gum of course!)

-We all need to check up with the dentist at least twice a year, but if we take a few precautions, we shouldn't need any more! 

-Em

And of course, because I am not a dentist, thanks to:

Lisa A Goss RDH, BS, and Charlie J. Inga, DDS. "Taking Care of Your Teeth." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Oct. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/teeth.html.