This is both the children’s and the dentist’s favorite holiday!
Lots of enticing candy for your children….YUM…..not so fast though!
Here is what you need to know about protecting and taking care of your children’s teeth on this tooth damaging holiday!
You what month is it now! October! Yes you got that correct….
The month of Halloween. Essentially the only time when children are allowed to run around with bags and bags of sweets!
Not to mention the insane sugar rush that goes on! We need to be concerned about their teeth.
Without taking care of their teeth….we are definitely risking DECAY.
However, You don’t have to worry. Our pediatric dental experts say Halloween can be a chance to teach your child oral health habits for life.
How Halloween can be a nightmare for your child’s teeth?
Three Effects Halloween Candy have on your Child’s teeth!
Let’s face it. Beware of Sugar Monsters’ Favorite Treats!
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No to Sour Candy
Sour candy is the worst! Other than the fact it tastes like crap…it does leave teeth prone to cavities more so than other candy. That’s because of its high acid content- of course that’s why its sour remember! The acidity eats away tooth enamel leaving teeth vulnerable to cavities.
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Candy Monsters- Love the Sugar
Sugar feeds the harmful bacteria on your child’s teeth, which creates an acid eroding enamel. This leads to plaque and ultimately cavities, which is why you should limit the number of Halloween treats your child enjoys.
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Eat it ONCE not throughout the day!
Its all in the frequent snacking on the Halloween candy that exposes the teeth over and over again to that damaging acid attack.
It is best to have a specific time for the snack. That’s it! It is not an ongoing episode of grazing.
http://www.dryasmin.ae/news/food-for-your-teeth-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
SIX Tips for a tooth- friendly Halloween from our Pediatric Dentist:
Protect their Teeth and Feed them Candy!
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Don’t say “NO”!
Don’t say “NO” and take their Halloween experience away! Yet at the same time, it’s the best time in the time of the year you can teach them about balanced eating, self-discipline and control.
If you take the candy away, it gives the opposite effect, this makes the candy seem even more irresistible.
Instead bargaining a set amount of candy per day, the favorite type “allowed” and the effects of eating too much candy on the body and the teeth.
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Timing is Everything
Eating Halloween candy is a great idea RIGHT AFTER A MEAL! So that saliva production is at its highest and it can cancel some of this acid out and rinse away some of those sugar mosnters.
With your child, set a time of day to eat Halloween candy. This “treat time” can last long after Halloween and help promote healthy thinking about treats:
- It’s important they learn that eating sweets shouldn’t be an all-day feast.
- Having a specific sweet time will help make children less inclined to think about eating sweets at other times of the day.
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Stash it Away!
Don’t keep it in plain eye sight. Hide it, stash it, throw it, donate it….feel free to even eat it! (Just kidding on that last bit- or am I! I know sometimes we are tempted by children’s candy when they remind us of our childhood.)
Point is: don’t make it that available for a child to see!
A suggestion is: after your child gets a bag full of those yummies home and all these trick-or-treating parties long forgotten, go through your child’s bags of Halloween candy together. Tell him/her to pick the 10 they want the most. Get the unpicked treats out of sight or even donate them immediately.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlvDx9Sg5Co/?taken-by=dryasminkottait
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Drink UP
Help your child go through a lot more water than they would especially usually on Halloween day to offset the imbalance of the sweets!
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Brush Twice a Day
Give them that candy and let them brush right after it by half an hour! Don’t forget to brush for twice a day as usual!
Maybe allow them to brush with an assortment of new tooth paste flavors!
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Floss your way to health!
Decay-causing bacteria get between teeth where toothbrush bristles can’t reach. Flossing will help remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line. At least once a day at night can do the trick!
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Visit your Kid’s Dentist
Schedule that visit to your favorite children’s dentist to help catch and treat cavities before they even start if possible!
Cavities don’t have to be the scariest thing about Halloween. Limit your children candy and sweets and take care to protect their teeth, and you’ll find that the ghosts, goblins and other holiday frights are much scarier than your child tooth decay.
May you have a spooky/healthy Halloween!
