Anyone with a sweet tooth is only glad to learn about retro sweets. Rarely does one manage to resist their temptation so most just go ahead and satisfy their cravings. Why not? Everybody deserves a treat, whether you’re analyzing the world economy or discovering a route to Venus. Cola Bottles, Rhubarbs and Custards, Wine Gums, Black Jacks, Jelly Babies, Bon Bons, Chocolate raisins, Chocolate eclairs and Turkish delight are only a few of those candies that are so much more than sugar – they are part of who we are because they influenced our childhood in more ways than one. However, if we’re going to relive this nostalgia as adults, we need to be more responsible, especially when we want our own children to have the same fun as ours when it was our turn to gorge on those traditional sweets.
To tell our children they can’t have lollies and gums and toffee and sherbet sweets is just like telling them to stop being kids. In other words, it’s both cruel and unrealistic. However, there are ways to protect their teeth while they continue their love affair with sugar. One is by making sure they’re eating more of the right foods. Those rich in calcium such as milk and yogurt will be topping the list for the most obvious reason that calcium strengthens teeth. Another is by letting the kids drink fluoride water regularly. This practice has been proven to make kids’ teeth stronger by 18-40% and up to 35 percent in adults. Sugarless gums, which can come as retro sweets, are also good because they promote salivation which helps clean the mouth.
There’s also a thing about the timing of eating these candies that matters in keeping teeth healthy. Because sweets are basically carbohydrates, they tend to create an acidic environment in the mouth for up to an hour from the time they are eaten. This means that if your kids just can’t pass up on those Dip Dabs, Space Dust or DolliLollies, they can have them in one bunch now and then another later. This is to allow the mouth to neutralize the acid left by the first bunch before the next one is introduced. Better yet, have them brush their teeth immediately after eating those old-fashioned sweets. If this is not possible, let them rinse their mouth up to five times after eating. This should flush out the acid and restore normal oral conditions.
Just because sweets account for up to 42 % incidence of oral cavities among candy lovers doesn’t mean they should stop the love. First, it’s not the candies’ fault if they’re sweet – they have to be or they cease to be candies. Second, any decision we make in our lives entails responsibility and deciding to binge on retro sweets is all part of it. When people don’t care to brush their teeth, it’s not at all about the candies but a personal decision to choose a certain path. As for the children, we are their guardians and the responsibility to protect them is naturally ours.