It’s no coincidence that National Oral Health Month and Halloween are during the same time of year. With Halloween right around the corner, most children focus on the free candy and easy access to sweets. Not only are children smitten by all of the yummy treats, this holiday can be pretty tempting for adults, too.
AltaMed wants to help ensure you and your family’s oral health is up to par during this spooky month. The American Dental Association has a few tips and tricks to keep your family’s “fangs” healthy this Halloween:
- Don’t allow sticky treats to play tricks on your family’s teeth. Sticky candy can cling to your teeth and increase your risk for tooth decay. Try to stay away from gummy bears and taffy to avoid an extra trip to the dentist.
- Brush and floss teeth. Brushing your teeth and flossing every day is important, especially on Halloween. Brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes with fluoride toothpaste. This ensures that sugar will not be sitting on your teeth all night and decreases the risk of getting cavities. Make sure you floss at least once a day to remove any decay-causing germs between your teeth that your toothbrush bristles can’t reach. Flossing also helps remove plaque and food particles underneath your gum line.
- Drink plenty of water between rounds of candy. Make sure you and your family drink plenty of water while they’re consuming their Halloween treats. Drinking water is one of the easiest and most beneficial things a person can do to help prevent tooth decay.
- Limit the amount of candy you and your family consume. Moderation is key! Give your child one or two pieces of candy a day to ensure they are not consuming an unhealthy amount of sugar. You can also pack two pieces of candy for your lunch as well. Typically, you’re less inclined to think about sweets when you have
a few throughout the day. This also leaves less candy to munch on later at home, while watching television or doing homework.
We all have our favorite Halloween sweets or drinks. Enjoy these tricky treats in moderation while doing minimal damage to your teeth.