Kids love Halloween– but their teeth don’t. Luckily, a solid approach combining teeth cleanings and preventative care can help keep your child’s teeth in good condition. As a parent, navigating just how much candy you give your child over Halloween is challenging. They might eat candy while trick or treating with friends, or they’ll expect to dig right in to their bag as soon as they get home. We’re here with a dentist-approved guide to protecting your child’s smile this Halloween season.
The best way to take care of your teeth around Halloween is to have an oral health check-up before the season starts. You want to know if your child has any sensitivity, potential cavities, or any issues with the health of their teeth. Regular teeth cleanings mean your dentist can keep an eye out for any developments, and you can get ahead of your child’s plaque growth.
However, preventative care begins at home. As children learn to brush their own teeth, you need to set solid, healthy habits in place. Are they brushing twice a day? Are they using good products? And how are they managing their oral health at meal times? An excellent oral hygiene routine sets the foundation for healthy teeth, even if they indulge once a year on Halloween candy.
It’s important to watch children brush their teeth, even if they are brushing independently. You want to make sure that they’re using a good brushing technique and being thorough. This is the time to help solidify these habits.
Your dentist will look out for cavities and potential cavities during a teeth cleaning. If your child needs dental fillings, having this procedure before Halloween can ensure that they still get to have fun trick or treating. However, we still want to have a strong focus on prevention to help stop any potential dental emergencies.
If your neighborhood goes all out, chances are your child is coming home with a basket filled to the brim with candy, chocolate, and other sweet treats. This is incredibly exciting for a child, but it’s important to manage their candy intake to avoid sickness, teach good habits, and prevent tooth decay. There are several ways that you can take control of the candy basket to protect your child’s smile– and not all of them involve taking candy away! With these ideas, you can still enjoy the Halloween season without the potential damage it could cause.
If you’re staring down a mountain of candy with no end in sight, you can try the toy swap trick. After agreeing with your child, you can take away a large portion of their candy and swap it for a toy or game. This helps to redirect them towards another trick or treat prize, and in many cases the toy will provide hours more entertainment than the candy would have.
You can donate the candy to local centers or hide it away for the upcoming Holiday Season, and it makes for a wonderful conversation about charity and moderation. Alternatively, your neighborhood can come together and arrange for less candy and more toys to be provided as treats to children doing the rounds. You’ll likely find more willing parents to take part than you think!
We know Halloween is exciting, and you can expect that your child’s candy consumption will skyrocket on the day itself. However, it’s still important to moderate how much candy and chocolate your child is eating per day. This is not only to protect their teeth from excess damage, but also to protect their stomachs. No one wants to feel sick after an exhausting day of trick-or-treating!
Spreading out your child’s Halloween candy can also be beneficial to their oral health. The time that you eat sweet food impacts how your teeth react to the sugar. You want to avoid having sugar in your mouth for an extended period of time, and you also want to avoid sugar on an empty stomach. The best time to indulge in Halloween candy is after a meal. Eating meals increases saliva production, which helps to wash away sugar and acids. Make sure not to brush your teeth too soon after eating candy, as this can spread bacteria around your child’s mouth even more.
Some candy is better than others. Did you know that chocolate is actually better for your teeth than chewy sweets? Chewy candy, like toffee, sticks to your teeth and is much harder to remove, potentially causing sensitivity. However, chocolate is soft, washes away with saliva well, and is cleaned easily by proper brushing. To avoid a more intensive teeth cleaning, we recommend narrowing down your child’s candy stash to easier-to-clean sweets and chocolates. This is also a bonus if you’re already planning on paring down your child’s Halloween basket to donate sweets or trade them in for toys.
Some candies have a much higher chance of causing a dental emergency. Hard candies, like lollipops and jawbreakers, are in your child’s mouth for a long time. This increases the sugar and acid circulating between their teeth, and there’s even an increased risk of chips and damage. Sour candies are also nightmares for children with sensitive teeth, so we recommend cutting back on these if your child has any dental concerns.
Dental emergencies need to be taken seriously. Sensitivities and cavities can cause pain and irritation for children, making the Halloween and holiday season difficult. With proper oral care at home and regular teeth cleanings, your dentist can keep track of your child’s oral health. Many children need dental fillings at some point, and what matters is taking care of the issue before it causes any more pain.
At Eriks Dental Group, Fort Lauderdale, we’re here to help you and your children enjoy the Halloween season without sacrificing your child’s oral health. Contact us today at 954-463-5051 to book a thorough check-up and tooth cleaning.
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