Happy Halloween!
As a dentist, nothing is scarier than a holiday full of candy! While an occasional sweet treat is okay, endless consumption of sugary snacks increases the risk of a cavity. Here are a few tips to help your kids safely enjoy the holiday.
1. Eat Treats with Meals – A small piece of candy at lunch or dinner is more easily rinsed away from the teeth while chewing other foods. The extra saliva also creates a protective barrier on the enamel.
2. Limit Frequency – Our mouths are full of bacteria. This bacteria feeds on sugar and produces tooth-destroying acid as a byproduct. It takes about 30-40 minutes of saliva production and swallowing to buffer out all those acids. So instead of munching on candy all afternoon and evening, stick to a few pieces at once.
3. Skip Sticky and Sour Candies – Gummy treats stick to the teeth, making them much harder to remove with swallowing and brushing. Sour candies get their tartness from added citric acid. Both increase the risk of decay. The absolute worst? Sticky sour candies… Double whammy!!
4. Stick to Chocolate – Chocolate candies (think M&Ms and Hershey’s) are more forgiving to teeth than sticky/gummy candies. Chocolate melts quickly and doesn’t stick to the teeth. Dark chocolate also has some health benefits.
5. Drink Water – Drinking water helps remove excess sugar from the teeth. Plain water is best, as bubbly water or flavored water may be acidic.
6. Hide the Candy – Out of sight, out of mind. Keep the candy stash somewhere safe or consider donating it to organizations around the community.
7. Chew Sugar-Free Gum – Chewing gum helps remove sugar from the teeth. It also increases saliva production. Both help protect the teeth against decay.
8. Choose Non-Candy Alternatives – Many kids prefer non-candy alternatives on Halloween. Consider handing out pencils, squishies, fidgets, stickers, etc. You might also consider a new tradition, such as the Switch Witch. She visits some homes on Halloween night to switch out the candy bag for a prize!
Happy Haunting!
Any content, resident submissions, guest columns, advertisements, and advertorials are not necessarily endorsed by or represent the views of Best Version Media LLC (BVM) or any municipality, homeowners associations, businesses, or organizations that this publication serves. BVM is not responsible for the reliability, suitability, or timeliness of any content submitted, inclusive of materials generated or composed through artificial intelligence (AI). All content submitted is done so at the sole discretion of the submitting party.
