Dental Tips For Halloween

Dental Hygiene is the practice of keeping the mouth, teeth, and gums clean and healthy to prevent oral disease, by regular brushing and flossing and routine visits to a dentist. Halloween time is a fun time for the whole family…the weather begins to turn, leaving cooler weather for lots of quality family time. It also means its time to pick out Halloween costumes for the kids and family as well as looking forward to collecting bags full of candy from the neighbors and at school. In those bags of candy lies an unsuspecting hazard…Sugar! Eating sugar without proper dental tips for halloween leads to tooth decay. But following dental tips for Halloween can remove the possibility of being scared of possible dental health issue developing following Halloween festivities. Dental tips for Halloween can give parents and children alike a chance to learn new dental hygiene tricks while enjoying their Halloween treats to maintain good dental health throughout the entire year.

Dental Tips For Halloween

By following the dental tips for Halloween below, parents can help prevent tooth decay for their trick or treaters while teaching them good dental hygiene habits:

–Selective. Not all of the Halloween treats are scary. The purpose of dental tips for Halloween is to encourage kids to eat candy that melts fast and can be eaten quickly. Try to avoid gooey, sticky sweets (like caramels and gummy bears) that can linger on in the mouth and on the teeth. This will allow the bacteria in the mouth to produce more acid which will cause tooth decay. Remind kids after eating any sugary candy to brush their teeth or at the very least rinse their mouths out with water. This will lessen the amount of time the sugar stays in contact with the teeth. A really good dental tip for Halloween might be to buy a new toothbrush that is Halloween related as a final “treat”.

–Hide the excess candy. Do not just leave the Halloween candy around the house after the Halloween trick or treating is over. Store it in a secret place out of reach from kids and adults.

-No Grazing. Dental tips for Halloween is not to just keep picking at the candy throughout the day. This reduces the time the sugars are in the mouth decreasing chance of tooth decay. A better idea is to hold back candy and use it as an after meal treat. Then have your child immediately brush and rinse to neutralize the sugar and acid production. Another option, if you cannot brush or rinse is to give them a sugar free xylitol gum. The gum will help increase salivary flow which will also help to neutralize the acids in the mouth.

–Eat a Healthy First. Have children not fill up on snacks and Halloween candy but fill up on a healthy nutritious meal first. This will give them less temptation to overdo their candy consumption. This is a good dental hygiene tip for all year and not just Halloween time.

Dental Tips For Halloween Alternatives To Candy

–Xylitol Gum (sugar free). This is a great dental tip for Halloween as it promotes dental health.  The chewing action of the gum actually promotes salivary flow which lessens the amount of time the sugars stay in the mouth thereby lowering the risk factors for tooth decay. This is also recommended as a tool after your kids indulge in candy to keep their mouths clean between brushing.

–Halloween Stickers. Kids love stickers especially Halloween ones. The spookier and scarier the better and kids love them. You can even hand these out at the door to the neighborhood kids.

–Vampire Teeth and Spider Rings. Go for the glow in the dark ones. Always a hit even with older kids.

–Temporary Halloween Tattoos. If you go this route make sure you buy some that are for all ages and not just the cute bats and pumpkins. The older kids will want scary tattoos that look more mature.

–Pretzels, potato chips & popcorn. There are many fun sized bags of these snacks available, a great choice and kids love them.

–Pencils with Halloween erasers. –Silly String. Everyone loves silly string!

–Bubbles.

–Halloween glow necklaces and bracelets. Fun and great for safety as you walk through the neighborhood!

–Halloween Balloons.

Dental Tips For Halloween Conclusion

So there you have it, a few easy dental tips for Halloween tricks to allow you and your family to fully enjoy the Halloween time safely and without worry. Candy is not necessarily the enemy, the enemy is not following these dental tips for Halloween. As always visit your dentist regularly for dental examinations and professional cleanings.