Dental health is an ongoing challenge for any parent, especially for those with young children. Once a year, an even bigger challenge comes along Halloween. Celebration and advertising for this holiday, from a dental perspective, is a parent’s worst nightmare, encouraging us to indulge our ‘sweet tooth.’ There is a seemingly endless and completely accessible supply of candy circling your child for weeks on end, and this crucial period can undo all of your hard work from the rest of the year. To help you through these Halloween horrors, the team here at Plancich Dental has put together a list of tips for keeping your children’s teeth healthy this Halloween.
Use Small Bags and Be Picky
Trick-or-treating is one of the most fun times of a child’s year, but you can’t let the excitement outpace their dental health. A good way to do this is to bring a small bag trick-or-treating so that you can limit the initial supply of candy. From there, you can whittle your candy supply down further by getting your child to pick out their favorites, and ditch the rest. This will ensure that your child eats less candy, and only eats treats that they actually enjoy.
Avoid Sticky Candy
While the huge amount of sugar in any type of candy is harmful to your child’s developing teeth, one of the factors that compound this damage is the stickiness of the candy. Taffies or caramels stick in the crevices of their teeth long after they’re done chewing and cause lasting damage.
Drink Plenty of Water!
By cutting down on the amount and type of candy your child consumes this Halloween, you will cut down on the amount of damage to their dental health. One more important tip to keep your teeth healthy this Halloween, is to make sure your kids drink plenty of water, and always rinse their mouth after eating candy. This will help wash away any of the lingering sugar and bacteria so that any of the leftovers can be finally eliminated during a thorough brushing.
If you want to learn more about your child’s dental health this Halloween, or are just in need of a check-up or cleaning, contact Plancich Dental today! Our team of dental professionals will keep your smile looking fabulous, and feeling healthy.