Halloween is the scariest time of year - when it comes to spooks and ghouls, of course, but also when it comes to oral health!
At SmileTown Dentistry in North Delta, we understand that balance is key when it comes to Halloween. You want your kids to eat healthy, nutrient-dense food the majority of the time, but you also want them to be able to to participate fully in this fun holiday. And that includes candy and treats.
To help you keep things balanced this Halloween, we'd like to offer parents some ideas and tips for keeping your kids’ teeth healthy, while still allowing them to participate in all the spooky fun.
Choose your candy wisely.
Not all candy is created equal when it comes to dental health. Some candies are just harder on teeth than others. Gummy candies, like gummy bears and worms, should be limited, for example, since these have a way of clinging to teeth for a quite while.
Another type of candy you should try to limit or avoid is candy that remains in the mouth for longer periods of time. Bubble gum and hard candies, for instance.
Limit treat consumption.
A big part of the fun of of trick-or-treating is coming home and digging right into your hard-earned loot! There's no need to ban this: but instead of letting your kids go to town, allow them pick out 5 or so treats, and then ration out the remaining candy over the following weeks.
Take extra care when brushing and flossing.
It's a good idea to be even more careful and thorough than usual when brushing and flossing after events where your kids consume more sugary treats than usual. Before bed on Halloween night, monitor your kids' brushing and flossing, to be sure they carefully clean each and every tooth.
Provide healthy alternatives.
There are all sorts of oral-health friendly, Halloween-inspired treat and snack ideas to be found on the internet. Here are a few ideas to get you started: