4 Remarkable Preventative Dentistry Tips to Avoid Halloween Woes

Here’s how you can use preventative dentistry tips to avoid Halloween woes – Especially with kids.

The beginning of fall is an announcement for Halloween season. Halloween is a popular holiday in America and is anticipated by adults and kids alike. Kids get unlimited access to candy and sweet treats during Halloween. While this is a very exciting prospect for children, the Halloween season is usually followed by frequent trips to dentists. Excessive consumption of candy and ignoring dental hygiene gives rise to multiple dental issues.

We believe that Halloween should be enjoyed with full festivity. At the same time, we recommend you to take some measures to protect your teeth from the onslaught of bacterial activity which is accompanied by candy consumption. Read and practice these preventative dental health tips to steer clear of Halloween woes.

Use Halloween as an Opportunity to Teach

• You cannot place a blanket ban on consuming candy. If you unnecessarily deprive your child from having candy during the Halloween season he will most likely rebel and use other means to obtain it. Turn Halloween as an opportunity to educate your child about the detrimental effects of candy for teeth.

Teach them about the need to limit and regulate their cravings for sweet stuff. If they have experienced any dental issues before, remind them that going overboard with candy will lead to the resurfacing of those same issues. You can lure them to exchange a handful of candies for few dollars which will be used on something they desire.

This is essential to regulate the sweet cravings of your child during the Halloween season.

Pick and Choose the Candy Smartly

• As much as we want to, we cannot completely eliminate candies from our children’s lives, especially around the Halloween season. All candies are bad but some are worse. A common rule of thumb is that any candy which takes longer to dissolve and stays in your child’s mouth for more time is especially bad. Chewy and sticky candies stick to the upper molars and require a lot of effort to be removed.

Bacteria feed off the sugary stuff present inside a person’s mouth. When they attack the sugars, an acid is produced as a result of the interaction. This acid starts wearing off the enamel of the teeth and leads to the formation of cavities.

Remain on the watch out for the following types of candies as they are most detrimental to dental health:

• Sugary gum
• Saltwater and other types of taffies
• Gummies
• Lollipops and other hard candies

Turn Brushing and Flossing Into Fun Activities

Brush and flossing are mundane activities that are no fun. This is why kids when it comes to dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing become even more important during Halloween season when children are loading up on everything sweet. To encourage them to brush and floss, make these activities fun. Ask your child to pick his/her favorite toothbrush and toothpaste.

• These days toothbrushes come with an attached superhero or Disney character. Your child will look forward to brushing his teeth if it is his/her favorite superhero instructing to do so. Likewise, get your child a flavored dental floss so he would be keener to floss.

Replace Sugary Drinks with Water

Sugary beverages are very popular among kids but they are just as harmful as candies. With Halloween season upon us, children already have ample opportunities to load up on sugars. You don’t need to throw in sugary beverages on top of candies as well.

• Replace these sweet beverages with fluoride-rich water. Regular drinking of water dilutes and washes away the sugary residuals in the mouth decreasing the probability of tooth decay.

To learn more about dentistry, visit Celebrity Smiles and General Dentistry. They are located in Westmont, IL.