Halloween is a fun time for families and kids, but you may be worried that excessive candy consumption will damage your child’s enamel and result in cavities. With a few Halloween tooth tips from The Little Royals: Dentistry For Kids, you can keep your child’s smile healthy and ensure they still have a great time this Halloween.
First, you should primarily give your child candy like chocolates and candy bars, which tend to rinse away easily from the mouth and are not excessively sticky. As a rule, you’ll want to avoid other types of candy that are very sticky, gummy, chewy, or hard. This includes things like gummy bears, taffy, hard candy, and chewing gum (if it’s not sugar-free).
Your child shouldn’t have unrestricted access to their candy, or they’ll likely make themselves sick by eating too much, and they’ll also have a higher risk of cavities. Keep their candy in a locked cabinet or somewhere high up that they can’t reach easily. This will help them avoid temptation!
It’s always a good idea for your child to eat a few pieces of candy at once. Giving them a few fun-size Snickers at once instead of spreading them throughout the day will help stimulate saliva production, which helps rinse away sugar.
However, if your child eats just one piece of candy every hour or two, sugar will continue to build up in their mouths without being rinsed away by saliva. Over time, this can lead to a higher risk of cavities.
During and after mealtimes, saliva production is increased. As mentioned, saliva is critical for washing away sugar and candy particles that are present after eating sweet treats, and it helps neutralize acid created by bacteria as they consume sugar.
Not only that, but your child will be more full after they eat a meal, so they will be less likely to want to “binge” on a ton of candy, which will make it easier to control their candy intake.
If possible, have your child brush their teeth after they eat candy. This will remove the majority of all sugar and acid in their mouths, and the fluoride in toothpaste will help keep their teeth strong.
If your child can’t brush after every time they eat candy, you should have them rinse with fluoride mouthwash, or even water. Even rinsing with water will help neutralize and wash away much of the sugar in candy, and keep their smile healthy.
It’s a good idea to get a preventive checkup for your little one’s mouth during Halloween and the winter holiday season, as this ensures that they can avoid cavities caused by sweet treats. So don’t wait. Contact The Little Royals: Dentistry For Kids online or give us a call at (561) 510-1450 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Sal or Dr. Yasi Colombo today.
