Diwali faral and your teeth

In Pune homes, Diwali means a fortnight of faral: crisp chakli, sweet shankarpali, besan and rava ladoo, anarse and karanji, offered to every guest and eaten through the day. After the festival, we see more chipped teeth, lost fillings and new sensitivity than in any other month.

Sugar itself is only part of the problem. What matters more is how often teeth meet it. Each time you eat something sweet, mouth bacteria produce acid for about twenty to thirty minutes. Three ladoos eaten together after lunch are kinder to teeth than one ladoo every hour all afternoon. So eat faral with meals or in one sitting, rather than picking at the plate whenever you pass it. Sticky sweets like anarse and chikki cling to the grooves of back teeth; rinse with water afterwards, or follow them with a piece of cheese or a glass of milk.

Hard snacks carry a different risk. Chakli and shankarpali are crunchy, and unpopped corn and nuts are harder still. Teeth with large fillings, or a root canal without a crown yet, can crack on them. Chew carefully on those teeth, and do not crack nuts or open packets with your teeth.

Brush before bed every night of the festival, however late it ends, and clean between your teeth. If a tooth breaks or a filling falls out during Diwali week, message us. We keep two emergency slots open every day, including the days around Lakshmi Puja.