Halloween is almost here — you know what that means, right? There’ll soon be trick-or-treaters out and about! Even now, kids are getting ready for a night of gathering candy door-to-door. As a parent, therefore, you’ll want to keep your child’s teeth safe on the 31st. After all, the holiday’s sugary sweets can cause tooth decay and cavities if you aren’t careful. As for how to do so, your dental practice has some suggestions. Read on to learn three Halloween oral health tips that protect smiles!
Only Have Candy at Mealtimes
At the end of Halloween night, kids often like to binge candy all at once. However, that practice really isn’t a good idea. It exposes your little one’s teeth to large amounts of tooth-decaying sugar.
To prevent binging (and help the candy last), only let your child have sweets at meals. Their mouths will produce more saliva at these times, meaning the treats would leave less sugar and bacterial acid.
Another good idea is only to let your child trick-or-treat after a good dinner. That way, they’ll be full and thus less likely to gorge on Halloween sweets.
Steer Clear of Certain Candies
As it turns out, some types of candy are worse for teeth than others. You’re better off avoiding the following types:
- Sticky and Gooey Candies: Sweets like caramels, gummies, and fruit snacks cling to pearly whites for long periods. Their sugar content, therefore, has more time to erode your enamel.
- Hard Candies: These candies — lollipops, jawbreakers, etc. — take a while to dissolve. Consequently, they’re likely to make your mouth acidic. Biting them can also chip your teeth if you aren’t careful.
Practice Good Oral Hygiene
Of course, practicing good oral hygiene is the best way to protect teeth on Halloween. This step ensures that sugar from candy gets removed from your child’s mouth.
These things being the case, have your child brush and floss their teeth once they’re done trick-or-treating. Furthermore, make sure they use fluoridated toothpaste that protects their tooth enamel. If necessary, you could also suggest they end their teeth cleaning by rinsing with mouthwash.
While Halloween is a candy-filled night, you don’t have to let it ruin your child’s smile. That being the case, remember to follow the tips above so their teeth stay healthy.
About the Practice
Temple Choice Dental is based in Temple, TX. As led by its trusted dental experts, our practice provides excellent dental care at affordable prices. We thus perform great preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, not to mention emergency care procedures. Whatever your smile need, you can count on us to meet it. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (254)-547-4866.