We wanted to reach out to you all and let you know that we are…
Halloween Candy
A socially distanced Halloween doesn’t necessarily mean distance between your kids and their candy!
Parents often ask us how they can help prevent their children from getting cavities from all the candy at Halloween. We’re sharing our top tips for having a cavity-free Halloween this year!
1. Portion the Candy
Divide all the candy into three portions. One portion to be eaten right away, another portion to be eaten later, and the last portion to be donated or discarded.
This will help your child play a role in how the candy is regulated and also keep the candy from being eaten constantly. Constant exposure to cavity producing acids can lead to tooth break down faster and result in cavities quicker.
2. Stay Away from Sticky Candy
Sticky candy such as gummy bears, sour patches, and tootsie rolls can stick to teeth longer and have a higher chance of populating acid-producing bacteria that cause cavities.
If you can separate the sticky candy out from the rest of the candy, the chances of developing cavities are lower. However, be warned that prying yummy candy away from kids may put YOU in a sticky situation.
3. Finish the Hard Candy As Soon As Possible
While we recommend completely staying away from hard candies, if your child does love them, try to keep them from sucking on them or keeping the candy in their mouth for too long. This is especially true for lollipops. Prolonged exposure to acids in the mouth can cause tooth breakdown and cause multiple cavities in the mouth.
4. Chocolate is Good!
Yes, we said it. Chocolate is good. It doesn’t stick to teeth like sticky candy and it is easily chewed unlike hard candy.
If there is any candy that is good for our teeth as well as our soul, it is chocolate. Keep the chocolate and enjoy it with your kids!
5. Brush Right Away and Remember to Floss
Remind your kids to brush their teeth after every time they eat candy. Better yet, limit Halloween candy intake to after meal times only and remind them to brush after meals or at minimum, before bed.
Cavity causing bacteria can spread from one tooth to another like an infection, so it is important to floss between teeth and brush thoroughly to remove any debris that these bacteria can feed on. Brushing and flossing is the way!
Bonus Tip: Make it fun and test your trick or treater to see if they can do the floss dance while flossing!
6. Participate in a cCandy Buy-Back Program
Many schools and dental practices have candy buy-back programs for Halloween, and this year is no different. Encourage your child to give up the candy and make some money in return.
Mint Leaf Dentistry will have a candy buy-back program that you can participate in! Visit our website or Facebook page for more details.
7. Encourage Regular Check-Ups at the Dentist
There is no substitute for a professional looking at you and your children’s teeth to ensure no cavities are forming, Halloween related or not. Getting regular professional dental cleanings can remove cavity causing plaque from children’s teeth leading to fewer cavities in general. In some cases, smaller cavities can even be stopped from growing bigger.
Halloween is a good time to reminder to ensure you keep up with dental check-ups and plaque control!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN from the team at Mint Leaf Dentistry!