Halloween is upon us and the children are getting excited for ghouls, goblins, and treats. If your kids are like mine, they tend to over indulge in all those sweet treats after they return home from a successful trick or treat excursion. Parents, we all know that sugar and candy are bad for our kids, but it sure is hard to say “No”. Here are few tips that will allow your children to enjoy Halloween, and protect their teeth from damage.
1. Inspect the candy thoroughly to make sure there are no opened packages, defective candies, or suspicious treats. Dispose of these immediately.
2. Have your child pick out their favorite types of treats. Dispose of the treats that your child doesn’t like. If they like them all, have them choose their favorites that they are going to eat. You can offer prizes, money, or other incentives for the treats our children chose to give up.
3. Set aside 1-2 candy eating sessions in the next couple of days. Limit their exposure to sugars and acids to single settings. Snacking on less candy for longer periods of time actually does more damage to the teeth, than eating lots of candy in short amount of time. When choosing this option, be reasonable in the amount you allow your children to consume.
4. Skip sugary and acidic drinks (juices, sodas, gatorade, etc) during halloween. Water or milk will help neutralize the acids and return the mouth to a more regular pH.
5. Don’t forget to brush and floss before bedtime. Adding a fluoride rinse such as ACT will hep re-mineralize teeth and help prevent cavities
The link below has some wonderful safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control .
Halloween Safety Tips from the CDC
Have a wonderful and safe Halloween!
Brian Herring, DDS