It’s nearly October 31st, so you likely have Halloween on your mind. Perhaps you’re picturing things like scary movies, costumes, and trick-or-treaters. That said, you’ll want to ensure the holiday doesn’t give your kid nasty cavities. Dirty teeth may look spooky, but they cause lasting damage to oral health. Luckily, you can trust your local Marion dentist to help out. To that end, here are four Halloween smile tips that protect your child’s whole grin.
Only Allow Candy at Meal Times
Kiddos often want to binge on Halloween candy at all hours of the day. Even so, this practice isn’t a healthy one. It constantly exposes your child’s smile to sugar, causing a buildup of harmful oral bacteria. From there, your trick-or-treater’s teeth will be at high risk of cavities and gum disease.
To avoid these effects, only allow candy at lunch or dinner. Doing so benefits from the increased saliva production during meals. After all, the mouth liquid will remove the leftover sugar in your child’s mouth. That effect, in turn, will cancel out the bacterial acids that cause cavities.
Set a “Candy Limit”
When trick-or-treating, kids like to gather huge hauls of candy. (They may even view the sweets as “treasures.”) However, eating all these treats won’t help their smiles. Having bunches of sugar will cause children to suffer tooth decay and infections.
One way to prevent this damage is to set a “candy limit.” In other words, restrict the number of sweets your child can keep. You could even offer rewards to make the restriction more fair. For instance, you might offer a dollar for every 25 pieces of candy.
Keep Hydration in Mind
Despite your best efforts, Halloween always leads to candy-eating. That means sugar will accumulate on your kids’ teeth. Left unchecked, this carb will attract bacteria that erode their pearly whites.
Luckily, you can remind your kids to drink water on Halloween night. The liquid will harmlessly rinse the sugar out of their mouths. Better yet, it’ll moisten their tongues and limit the growth of harmful oral bacteria.
Tell Your Kids to Brush & Floss
While Halloween is a holiday, oral hygiene doesn’t take days off. That fact especially applies on days filled with candy and sweets. So, tell your kids to clean their teeth before and after trick-or-treating.
In particular, remind your kids to brush twice daily, floss once daily, and rinse often with mouthwash. Brushing with a toothbrush will get sugar off their teeth. Also, fluoridated toothpaste will strengthen and protect their tooth enamel from decay. Even dental floss will remove lingering plaque and bacteria that a toothbrush’s bristles can’t reach.
Given these Halloween smile tips, your kids can enjoy trick-or-treating without ruining their teeth. So, make sure they put them into practice on the 31st!
About the Practice
Green Valley Dental is based in Marion, OH. Led by Dr. Brent Whittaker, our practice works tirelessly to give each patient a pretty and healthy smile. We thus offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative procedures, as well as emergency dental treatments. Our team also provides dental sedation for clients who struggle with anxiety. For more details or to book a visit, please reach us on our website or by phone at (740)-725-8000.