It should come as no surprise that every kid loves Halloween. We understand why! What isn’t there to love about trick or treating?
A fun night out with friends and family collecting candies from your neighbors sounds like an absolute blast for kids. But when it comes to your child’s oral health, Halloween might not sound as fun.
Thankfully, not all Halloween treats are bad. There are plenty of tooth-friendly foods for children to indulge for a tooth-friendly Halloween. Read on to learn more about how you can prevent cavities and tooth decay, all while allowing your child to indulge in those amazing, sweet, and delicious treats!
Different Types of Halloween Treats
One thing to consider when allowing your child to indulge in sweets is to understand the difference between various candies. For instance, candies that are sticky and chewy are a hazard when it comes to oral health. Sticky treats, as it would imply, are sugary treats that stick to your child’s teeth and increase the likelihood of cavities. Some of the most problematic sticky candies include lollipops, bubble gum, caramel candies, and gummy bears.
One way to prevent your child from consuming these sugary treats is by screening the sweets your child receives during the trick-or-treating extravaganza. This can be difficult especially when you see the frown on their face once you take away their favorite treats. But stay strong! This will be good for them in the long run.
We recommend consuming these types of candy in moderation. Allowing your child to indulge in a few pieces of their favorite candy here and there will not drastically damage their teeth.
While refraining is your best option, if you do continue to allow your child to eat those sticky candies, it is recommended that they brush their teeth immediately after to ensure that there isn’t any candy residue left on their teeth.
It’s All About Moderation
As with everything in life, remember that moderation is key. As we stated before, parents should limit their children’s intake of sugar because sugar affects the body’s ability to function well.
If you plan to participate in Halloween activities, consider offering non-candy options for trick-or-treaters. These can be stickers, pencils, glow sticks, or temporary tattoos. Alternative food solutions can consist of the following sugar free candy, healthy fruit snacks, or tangerines.
These are great alternatives for candy that kids will be just as excited about!
If you are looking to be more festive and stick to the Halloween culture then head to your local dollar store. You will likely be able to find some spooky spider rings, mini slinkies, and colorful bouncy balls. All of these are sure to please the trick-or-treaters coming to your door on fright night.
Avoid Hard Candies
Now that you understand the importance of reducing sugar intake to take care of your child’s oral health, it’s important that you avoid hard candies.
When you consume a piece of hard candy, the majority of the sugar remains on your child’s teeth. The sticky, sugary film lingers on their teeth, increasing the risk of tooth decay. With that being said these types of candies have shown to also increase the likelihood of gum disease by allowing sugar residue to be trapped in areas between the teeth and gums.
Since hard candies can cause a great deal of damage to the teeth, it has raised a lot of concern from dentists. Consuming hard candies increases our chances of breaking or chipping our teeth. Even if you try sucking on the candy, you are still tempted to bite and chew it. If you end up breaking or chipping your tooth, there is a very high chance that you will need dental emergency surgery on your teeth.
Stay Away From Sour Candy
We might think that sour candies are safer for our teeth since many of them are marginally lower in sugar content. However, therein lies the larger problem.
Although sour candies contain a bit less sugar than most candies, they contain quite a bit of acid in them. That delicious sour taste is created through those various acidic flavors. Research shows that these acids are safe to eat. However when these acid flavors are accompanied by sugar, they can cause great harm by striping vital minerals from our enamel.
There are many preventive measures you can take to prevent gum disease, cavities, and removal of enamel caused by sour candies.
Dental Tips For Treats
So how do we keep our kid’s teeth healthy?
It’s fairly simple in theory, but not an easy task for us parents. Children love to eat sweets, but they hate the pain cavities cause. Oh, and dentists hate cavities too.
Here we have listed a few tricks to help you and your family enjoy a tooth friendly Halloween.
First, you will want to focus on limiting the amount of candy you consume throughout October, especially the night of Halloween. Whether it is sweet or sour, avoiding sweets will prevent any chance of bacteria growth as well as tooth decay. Another tip to consider when trick or treating is asking for healthier alternatives.
All things considered, Halloween only happens to fall on the calendar once a year. With that being said, the most important thing we can do for our oral health is to have a regular brushing and flossing regimen. This cavity-preventative measure will drastically help your children ensure they are taking care of their teeth.
Dress Up the Hygiene Routine
Clock Tower Dental is dedicated to helping your kids develop and maintain their oral health over a lifetime.
Taking care of your oral health suggests that you actively consider alternatives and stick to your brushing and flossing routine. It also means that you schedule dental cleanings regularly to ensure your and your kid’s teeth are sparkling white. If you are needing to schedule your next dental cleaning or have further questions regarding a tooth-friendly Halloween, get in touch with Clock Tower Dental today!
