Halloween is around the corner, which for most children means bags of free candy and a chance to build a stockpile of sweets for the winter. No surprise, Halloween can also present parents with a variety of health and safety challenges. Here are a few ways you can help your children stay healthy during Halloween and year-round.
Time It Right
Eat Halloween candy (and other sugary foods) with meals or shortly after mealtime. Saliva production increases during meals and helps cancel out acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.
Choose Candy Carefully
Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time. Aside from how often you snack, the length of time sugary food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to an increased risk for tooth decay.
Avoid Sticky Situations
Sticky candies cling to your teeth. The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.
Drink More Water
Drinking fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, look for kinds that are fluoridated.
We hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Miami dentist, Dr. Papiernik, truly enjoys seeing the effect that a healthy smile has on his patient’s lives. He believes that a healthy smile begins with knowledge. That is why one of his goals is to help elevate each patient’s dental awareness and to provide them with the best tools to maintain their dental health at its optimum. Please call (305) 670 5100 to schedule an appointment. Miami dentist, Dr. Papiernik, specializes in cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, dental veneers, dental teeth whitening, teeth bonding, and general dentistry.