Celebrating a Healthy Halloween

Happy Halloween to you and your children! We hope that you have a fun, safe, and entertaining night celebrating the spooky holiday together. But as we’re dentists, there’s something else on our minds. Halloween kicks off the holiday season, during which children consume many more sweets than usual. Why not treat Halloween as the first chance to try out some tooth-healthier holiday habits? This post offers a few dentist-approved Halloween tips that your kids won’t completely hate, and that will help keep their teeth cavity-free through the winter.

Halloween Tips for Kids’ Healthy Teeth

• Talk to your kids about the effects of sugar on their teeth. This doesn’t need to be a scary or threatening talk – it can simply let them know how bacteria will affect their teeth. When given the choice between a Jolly Rancher and avoiding a cavity, most kids will make the choice that keeps them out of the dental chair.
• Balance out the sugar intake. If your kids are having more candy than usual in the week following Halloween (and how can you really prevent this?), have them drink water or milk instead of soda or juice to give their teeth a break. Let them know that they have a choice between a sugary snack and a sugary drink.
• Push the tooth-healthiest candies – Some treats are better for teeth than others. The best candies are usually those consisting of chocolate, which melts in the mouth instead of sticking to teeth. Dark chocolate may even have some antibacterial properties in the mouth. When it comes to the worst offenders, sticky treats that cling to teeth and pull at dental work are to be avoided at all costs. This includes tacky gummies, hard candies, and taffy.
• Make different Halloween treat choices – Ready to take a dramatic step? Trying offering candy that contains xylitol, which fights bacteria, or individually wrapped grocery store snack packs. Whether these contain fruit, vegetables, or crackers, the contents will be friendlier on the teeth than standard Halloween far.

Halloween Doesn’t Need to Mean Cavities

Try celebrating this Halloween in a slightly healthier way to take a step in the right direction. Get in touch with our office to set up your kids’ post-holiday dental exams!

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