Halloween is right around the corner! While the spooky holiday is fun for children of all ages, the treats can do some serious damage to their teeth. Avoid the negative effects that Halloween candy can have on your children’s oral health by remembering these quick tips:
Keep teeth healthy during Halloween
It can be difficult to manage the amount of candy that your child gets this time of year. Although some kids manage to collect hundreds of pieces of candy, you can monitor the number of treats that your child brings home and keeps. It’s tempting to keep all the Halloween candy around for the kids (and yourself), but your teeth will thank you if you limit the stash.
Here are three ways to keep your teeth healthy during Halloween:
- Avoid certain kinds of candy
- Maintain your oral health routine
- Utilize a local Halloween candy buyback program
Avoid certain candy to keep teeth healthy during Halloween
The worst candy for your teeth:
- Sticky and gummy candies: Dentists hate these candies. They’re known for being terrible for your teeth. Sticky candies are hard to remove from teeth which make it easier for cavity-causing bacteria to grow. Prevent your child from consuming sticky and gummy candies by removing them from your kids’ candy bucket.
- Hard candy: Hard candies affect your teeth in two ways. Firstly, hard candies can break your teeth when you bite down on them. Secondly, hard candy is often left in the mouth for long periods of time. This gives the sugar more time on our teeth.
The best candy for your teeth:
- Chocolate: When comparing chocolate to hard candy or gummies, chocolate is the best bet for your teeth. We’re not saying chocolate is good for your oral health, but it’s better than the alternatives. Chocolate is one of the most popular candies handed out on Halloween. It’s easier to clean off your teeth because it melts away instead of sticking around.
Maintain your oral health routine during Halloween
Halloween creates temptations that often disrupt our oral health routine. From staying out late to keeping candy around 24/7, it’s cavity-causing season. But if you keep your oral health in check, you can keep cavities away.Limit the number of treats per day and reinforce the need for good oral hygiene.
Check out these tips to maintain your oral health routine:
- Brush your teeth twice a day.
- Clean between your teeth with floss.
- Stay away from sugary beverages.
- Drink more water.
- Maintain a healthy diet.
Halloween Candy Buyback
Halloween Candy Buyback is a nonprofit organization with the goal of removing excess Halloween candy from kids while supporting the troops. Get rid of all that candy and make a difference while you’re doing it. Register to hold a buyback event or search for one near you on their website!
Learn more about what dentists give out at during Halloween and get advice for keeping kids’ teeth healthy by visiting www.trickytreats.org.
Look for Halloween treats that are healthy for your teeth? Click here!
