Safeguard Your Child’s Teeth this Halloween

Halloween costumes, candy, and treats are part of the magic of the season. Halloween is one of the most candy-filled holidays of the year, but that doesn’t mean it has to have spooky results for your child’s oral health.  Learn ways to make Halloween spook-tacular without treats wreaking havoc on their teeth.

Not all Halloween Candy is Created Equal

By the numbers, Halloween is one of the biggest candy holidays of the year. Consider these mind-blowing stats:

• The average Halloween candy bag has about 11,000 calories total, mostly from sugar. 
• More than 141 million people in the U.S. buy Halloween candy for the holiday.
• The amount bought is about 600 million pounds of Halloween candy.
• The average child eats about 3 cups of sugar in Halloween candy on October 31st.
• Unless specifically labeled “sugar-free”, most candy is mainly sugar, which is a major health concern for your body and for your teeth. 

How Are Sugar and Cavities Related?

Anytime food–not just candy–comes in contact with your teeth, the sugars from the food mix with bacteria in your mouth as you chew food into smaller pieces for digestion. That mixture of sugar and bacteria creates a sticky substance called plaque. Plaque is a transparent film that sticks to your teeth. It is not easily washed away by swallowing or drinking liquids. 

The longer that plaque sits on your teeth, the more it damages your teeth because of its acidic nature. Acids are caustic enough that they can actually break up the minerals in your teeth if given enough time. Plaque erodes the teeth enamel, weakening it until it starts to demineralize and decay. This leads to cavities. 

Avoiding Cavities Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Ever Have Sugar

Cavities don’t result just because you eat a sweet treat. In fact, you could get cavities from regular food instead of just Halloween candy or sweet treats if they have sugar. The more sugar you eat, the more your teeth can decay. 

Here are some tips to avoid cavities even if you eat some sugar:

• Don’t eat treats at every meal. Choose one time during the day or a day of the week that you or your child can have a sweet treat. The less candy and treats you eat, the less you will crave sugary foods. 
• Brush daily.  The American Dental Association recommends that every patient brush their teeth at least twice a day, if not more often. Brush with fluoride toothpaste, making sure to brush for 2 minutes each time as you go in all directions. 
• Floss. Don’t skip flossing! If so, you miss 40% of your tooth surfaces that can all decay. Floss your child’s teeth until they have the dexterity to floss them themselves. Then, make sure they floss day and night to avoid child tooth decay. 
• Use fluoride.  Fluoride enriched products and toothpastes to strengthen the teeth and to protect against decay.
• Leverage dental sealants. Sealants are plastic coatings for the teeth that dentists can provide to seal out decay.
• Make an appointment to visit the dentist. At least twice a year make sure your children are having a dental exam and cleaning.

Healthy Teeth and Halloween Candy

When it comes to Halloween candy and the entire fall and winter season full of holidays, make sure you limit sugar consumption and treats. It’s hard to reverse decay or to prevent it if there is an endless amount of sugar being consumed. If you want your child to enjoy their candy while still being healthy, you can do things such as: 

• Encourage children to earn their Halloween candy. If they do chores or complete weekly oral health care goals, then reward them with a piece of candy at mealtime. 
• Limit snacking between meals. All-day snacking can expose the teeth to plaque constantly instead of just at mealtimes. 
• Tell children upfront that you will trade a certain amount of candy for a toy or small gift that they want. They still get something fun for the holiday and you can limit the sugar their teeth are getting. 
• Consider asking your children to donate some of their candy to a shelter or to soliders abroad.
• Brush and floss teeth before bedtime. Make sure all the candy is out of their rooms when kids go to bed for the night and that teeth are brushed. This helps the teeth be free of plaque during the night. 

Having a plan that works for  your household this Halloween can help you responsibly celebrate the season! You can definitely still eat candy and so can your kids. Just make sure you’re all taking care of the teeth during candy-heavy holidays.

Call Li’l Sunshine Smiles Dentistry today at 813-576-0200 to ask a question or to schedule an appointment. (And have a fun, safe Halloween this year!)