Now that the clocks have gone back, the next few months will be a time with little daylight and a lot of comfort eating. Whether it is filling-removing bonfire toffee, sweets collected by children from Halloween trick-or-treating or the upcoming orgy of eating unhealthy food that is Advent and then Christmas, the next few months may not be great for oral health.

There is no bad time for dentists or members of the public alike to stock up on products like Corsodyl mouthwash, but times when a lot of sugary food is likely to be consumed are certainly high on the list.

According to the BBC Good Food Guide, the healthy daily intake of sugar should not exceed 90g for a woman. The figure can be higher for a man, but this is a number taking into account the overall health impact, not just on the teeth.

In any case, the average amount consumed is higher even on the typical day, with even breakfast cereals often containing more sugar than a doughnut. The situation will only get worse when the festive indulgence starts.

Christmas pudding is the worst seasonal offender when it comes to sugar, being even worse than Christmas cake, although there will be many other dangers to teeth, such as the inevitable boxes and tins of chocolates and fizzy drinks.

While many people will be all too aware of the impact on their waistlines and make New Year resolutions to exercise more and eat healthily, the impact on oral health might easily be ignored.

However, those who have plenty of mouthwash can make good use of it over the coming months.

Christmas Day might be the prime time, but with lots of other parties and the New Year to follow, all after some parkin on November 5th and the general temptation to eat warm, stodgy puddings on cold nights, the threat sugar poses to the nation’s teeth is evident. Make sure yours are protected.