Quick tips for combating the horrors of Halloween treats
Halloween is right around the corner! While the spooky holiday is fun for kids 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 hard 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
- Use a local Halloween candy regift or buyback program
Avoid certain candy to keep teeth healthy during Halloween
When it comes to candy, some types are worse than others for your oral health. Getting rid of these candies can keep teeth healthy during Halloween.
The worst candy for your teeth:
- Sticky and gummy candies: These are terrible for your teeth. Sticky candies are hard to remove from teeth which makes it easier for cavity-causing bacteria to grow. Prevent the problem and pluck them from your kids’ candy buckets.
- Hard candy: Hard candies affect your teeth in two ways. First, hard candies can break your teeth when you bite down on them. Second, hard candy is often left in the mouth for long periods of time. This gives the sugar more time on our teeth to cause damage to them.
The best candy for your teeth:
- Chocolate: We’re not saying chocolate is good for your oral health, but it’s better than the alternatives. 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 situations that often disrupt our oral health routine. From staying out late to keeping candy around 24/7, it’s a 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 dental hygiene.
Check out these tips to maintain your oral health routine:
- Brush your teeth twice a day
- Clean between your teeth with floss once daily
- Stay away from sugary beverages
- Drink more water
- Maintain a healthy diet
Embrace Halloween candy donation and “buyback” programs
Dentists’ offices will sometimes offer a reward for turning in excess Halloween candy. Ask your dentist or others in your community if they have a Halloween buyback program.
In other cases, the candy can be donated to organizations to include in care packages for deployed troops overseas or other charitable causes.