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After a long, gray winter, everyone looks forward to bright sunny days, green sprouts poking up through the garden soil, and spring holidays. Each holiday comes along with its own special treats. Irish soda bread and beer for St. Patrick’s Day, paczkis for Fat Tuesday and Easter baskets filled with jelly beans, Peeps, and all sorts of bunny-shaped candies.

While the Easter candies may delight the taste buds, they are not so great for your teeth. Besides the sugar content, jelly beans and Peeps are one more thing – STICKY!

Teeth, jelly beans, Peeps, kids, and cavities

Because of the sugar content and the sticky factor, jelly beans and Peeps are prime promoters of cavities. Rinsing with water after eating can usually remove a lot of food particles. But in the case of jelly beans and Peeps, that is just not sufficient. These candies stick to the teeth and get packed into the crevices of each tooth and in between teeth making them culprits in creating the optimal conditions for cavities.

What can you do?

If your children eat jelly beans or Peeps, make sure they clean the biting surface (where candy often gets stuck) and be sure they floss because just as they get stuck on the biting surface, candy can also get stuck between their teeth. Don’t forget that the sides of teeth are susceptible to cavities, just like the biting surface.

Parents, all this means that, depending on your child’s age, you might have to facilitate brushing and flossing to help your child get all the little nooks and crannies clean. While we would not suggest completely eliminating jelly beans and Peeps from your child’s Easter basket, we encourage patients to limit them and use chocolates or other treats for Easter eggs. While chocolate can still lead to cavities, it does not have the sticky properties that can increase the risk as much as other candies do.

Teeth, jelly beans, Peeps, and adults

If you thought that children were the only ones who have to worry about consuming jelly beans and Peeps, you are mistaken. While adults probably know that to prevent cavities brushing and flossing is necessary after eating these kind of treats, there may be other issues to think about, too.

Adults who have had dental work done such as bridges and crowns have to be concerned about that “sticky” factor as well. No one wants to deal with sticky candy getting stuck to dental work or having a crown pop off. At Southeast Family Dental we have seen many broken teeth and crowns off due to some kind of sticky candy or food.

Last, be sure to keep your routine checkups with your dentist to ensure there are no cavities or broken dental work. A little preventative care may prevent a visit later for restorative care, or worse, an emergency. Take a moment to contact Southeast Family Dental at 317-359-8000 to take a preventative care step you will appreciate going forward.

Enjoy the nice weather and holidays. Just remember to take care of your teeth. You want them to stay with you long after the season passes.