Halloween Candy: a Traditional Indulgence that’s a bit Risky
Many of us, especially those with little kids, have a lot of fun with Halloween. This fun fall season brings cool nights, hot apple cider, apple butter, hot chocolate and tons of candy. Wow – fall sure brings a lot of sugar with it when it comes! And while we love watching our kids get excited about neighborhood trick-or-treating, we have to consider the effects all these sweets might have on their little teeth. Even if your kids are young enough to still have their milk teeth, that doesn’t mean this blog post isn’t for you. Good dental health and hygiene is important at any age. So it’s important to brief your kids on why it’s important for them to be extra thorough brushing their teeth on October 31st.
How that Mega Sugar Rush Affects Teeth
Your family dentist has probably told you that too much sugar in your diet can cause tooth decay. But did they explain to you exactly how sugar acts once you’ve eaten that fun-size Snicker bar? Well, everyone has some plaque bacteria in their mouths – even the best brushers. When sugar interacts with this bacteria, it creates an acid. This acid then wears down your tooth’s enamel. Once you’ve damaged tooth enamel enough, cavities will form in your teeth. Everyone knows cavities are a bummer. They can result in tooth loss, the need for fillings, or in worse cases, the need for a root canal. Even healthy diets include some sugar intake – and with proper dental hygiene and regular dental cleanings, you can render it inconsequential. But this huge wave of sugar on Halloween calls for a bit more attention to detail than your regular brush-and-floss routine.
Ways to Prevent a fun Halloween from Becoming a Nasty Cavity
So, how can we protect our kids from the dangers of sugar to their gums and teeth? Here are a few friendly suggestions for preventing fun fall activities from becoming anything more:
- Make sure those kiddos brush and floss after each episode of candy bingeing.
- Keep them hydrated. Water rinses the teeth and prevents dry mouth that can cause bacteria to run rampant.
- All candy is not created equal. Sticky candies and hard candies (think sour gummy worms and Jolly Ranchers) are much harder on teeth than chocolate-based candies.
- All those fall apples you’ve got in the house? Have the kids munch on one of those. It’s natural sugars, and chewing on crunchy fruit does some preliminary tooth-cleaning before they brush.
- Share or donate some candy; they likely collected more than they can (or you want them to) handle. Make someone else’s Halloween special, too.
- Limit access to the candy. After that first night, put the candy up and let the kids choose one time a day they’d like to grab a treat (or three) from that plastic jack-o-lantern.
- Plan a visit to your family dentist in November for a dental cleaning. It’s important to prevent any damage to their teeth, and it also gives you a good check-in point in the middle of holiday season.
Follow these simple tips, and you can make sure your kids’ smiles stay as cute as their costumes.