It’s Easter again, and time to eat chocolate without the guilt! The good news is, you can enjoy those yummy chocolate eggs and still look after your teeth!

We have put together our recommendations on the best way for you and your children to enjoy this time of year, still have the yummy chocolate and look after those gorgeous smiles. One of the keys is to know the amount of sugar you are consuming and make healthier Easter Egg selections for your children. Many of the popular Easter eggs can contain up to 55% to 65% sugar, so that means that a 100g milk chocolate bunny could contain 13 to 15 teaspoons of sugar and a larger bunny (200g) up to 30 teaspoons…. crazy right! Check out this website by Safe Food which gives you a breakdown of the amount of sugar on Easter eggs when tested in 2020!

So what do we suggest…. According to the great website sugarbyhalf.com which has a page dedicated to Easter eggs here is the sugar content of some of the popular ones out there (which was update in 2017 to include Aldi Chocolates)

High sugar options:

Cadbury’s Large Crème Egg
(1 egg and 2 crème egg – 278g):
41 teaspoons of added sugar
Humpty Dumpty egg (165g):
25 teaspoons of added sugar
Lindt Bunny Gold Milk (200g):
26 teaspoons of added sugar
Kinder Surprise Giant Bunny (160g):
20 teaspoons of added sugar
Coles easter hunt bag (300g):
44 teaspoons of added sugar
Red Tulip Chocolate Elegant Rabbit (200g):
30 teaspoons of added sugar

Lower sugar alternatives:

Lindt Dark Chocolate Bunny (100g):
8 teaspoons of added sugar
Choceur Dark Chocolate Bunny (100g):
9.5 teaspoons of added sugar
Lindt Dark Excellence Egg, 70% cocoa (110g):
7.5 teaspoons of added sugar
Moser Roth Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs (150g):
10 teaspoons of added sugar per pack
Ferrero Rocher Bunny (100g):
9.5 teaspoons of added sugar
Ferrero Rocher Cocoa eggs (100g):
10 teaspoons of added sugar per pack

OUR TOP TIPS FOR HEALTHY TEETH OVER EASTER

1. Encourage your child to DRINK WATER. After eating chocolate get them to have a glass of water or rinse their mouths out as an alternative to brushing if you are not at home.

2. Avoid grazing on chocolate all day. Aim to eat your chocolate with your meals rather than between meals.

3. Stick with chocolate! It you think the other lollies may be a better alternative, hard lollies or gummy/sticky treats … think again. These remain on their teeth longer and are harder to clean off increasing the chances of tooth decay.

4. Alway practice good oral hygiene. Teach you child to brush for 2 mins twice a day with a recommended toothbrush and toothpaste.  Encourage them to floss once a day. Learning good habits when they are young is the best way to maintain healthy teeth to last a lifetime.

OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS!

Choose dark chocolate over milk or white chocolate – dark chocolate is the least processed and is closest to the cocoa bean which contains polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids, all of which are strong antioxidants and will benefit your teeth and mouth.

It may be tempting to brush your child’s teeth after eating sweet treats, brushing immediately after eating can do more damage than good. Your tooth enamel is softer while it is under attack from the acids in your mouth. We recommend simply rinsing your mouth with water after eating a sweet treat. Plain water helps the saliva do the job of neutralising the pH of the mouth.

Start the day with a healthy breakfast! Even if the rest of the day is all about chocolate at least you have started the day well. Encourage you child to eat their Easter eggs with the meals so they don’t graze on chocolate all day. Suggest lots of water to rinse their mouth out during the day. And remember, don’t stress out too much, it one day a year. Enjoy the chocolate, but make sure they brush their teeth and floss before going to bed!

USEFUL DENTAL RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Head to the Sugar By Half website. Its a great site to bookmark for reducing your sugar intake for your overall health!
https://www.sugarbyhalf.com

Find out how much sugar is in your favourite Easter eggs here, along with healthy meal ideas:
https://www.safefood.net/easter-eggs-sugar