Tricks and Treats: Tips for Maintaining Your Child’s Healthy Smile this Halloween Season

It’s no secret children enjoy wearing costumes and LOVE collecting tons of candy during Halloween season. And everyone deserves a little treat here and there. But let’s not forget that excessive sugar can lead to unhealthy smiles for your little ones. River Rock Dental wants to share some easy tricks and treats that are safe alternatives to high fructose loaded candy bars. These parental tips can help minimize oral health hazards and cavity growths without taking away their Halloween season experience.

Create Specific Sweet Times

Help your kids learn that it is not healthy for them to eat sugar all day. Create specific times that allow your child to have a sweet treat. Ensuring they eat a healthy hearty meal prior to those times will help prevent them from gorging on too much candy.

Avoid the Hard and Sticky Candies

There is always a variety of candies in every trick-or-treat bag. But some of them are safer for your children to eat than others. Caramel and hard coated candies increase the amount of time your child’s teeth are exposed to sugars. Also, encourage your children to eat small amounts of candy followed by water to helps wash down the excess sugar.

Sweet and Healthy Alternatives to Candies

Sugar free gum can become every parent’s best friend this Halloween season. Chewing increase the production of saliva in the mouth that helps wash down sugars on teeth. Purchasing xylitol sweetened gum will not only mend your child’s sugar craving but it can help fight the acid that creates cavities their mouths. It will become a safe and great addition to their Halloween bags.

Fight Candy Cavities with Fluoride

During this Halloween season it’s crucial you help your little ones fight off the chance of gaining cavities. Ensuring that they have fluoride based toothpaste and mouth was can dramatically reduce the damage caused by candy. Halloween is the best time of year to encourage brushing and flossing so treat your child to a fun flavored floss or spooky themed toothbrush.

Call our to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.