Halloween is quickly approaching! I remember always being excited about getting to dress up and go trick or treating, but costume ideas always quickly changed because I would get so cold. Of course, every kid looks forward to how much candy they are going to get, and Mom and Dad may be concerned about how to keep their teeth from getting lots of cavities. Lets be honest, those treats can play some mean tricks on our teeth.

Halloween should be about the costumes and the candy, but these tips may just help you keep you and your children’s teeth just a little more sugar free:

• Try not to snack on the treats throughout the day. It is easier on your teeth to eat more sugar all at once rather than all day long. Eating those sweets at the end of the meal is beneficial since your saliva production has already increased to help wash everything away
• Drinking more water can help wash the sugar off, especially if you’re snacking on the sugar throughout the day
• Make sure to brush before bed! If you or your child just had chocolate after supper, you don’t want all those sugar bugs sitting on your teeth for hours all night long.
• Avoid the stickier and harder candies. Something like chocolate is going to wash away from your teeth a lot easier than something that is sticky. The sticky candy is going to stick to your teeth longer which gives the sugar more time to attack your teeth. It is the same idea with hard candy: you may eat a piece of chocolate in just a few minutes, but sucking on a hard candy may be leaving it in your mouth for extra time. Again, this leaves the sugar more time to eat away at your teeth, while also coating your entire mouth as you adjust the candy.

Have a safe Halloween everyone and enjoy your treats!

-Emma
Braeside Dental Centre