It’s nearly that time of year folks where the costumes go on and the kids head out for parties and trick or treating. Children and Adults alike love Halloween, but with the focus being on sweets and snacks, our teeth can really suffer. Now we don’t want you to miss out on the fun, so we have got five tips for you for surviving Halloween without cavities.
- Aim for low sugar treats
If you’re throwing a party yourself you can control the food and offer some healthier alternatives to the traditional sticky sweets and fizzy drinks. The key is to make the food delicious and fun, so kids don’t feel they are missing out. There are some excellent sugar free Halloween recipes for fun treats like chocolate and peanut butter spider cookies or apple sun butter teeth bites, which are totally natural but look so spooky that kids will love them. If you don’t feel like cooking, then go for sugar free sweets instead of the traditional ones.
- Let them pig out, but briefly
This may sound strange, but for your teeth, it’s much better to have lots of sugar in one go, than a slow and steady consumption of high sugar snacks. This is because the long-lasting approach builds up the acid level in your mouth and the saliva doesn’t have a chance to deal with it. However, a quick binge and then a drink of water, an apple or chewing some gum can quickly neutralise those acids.
- Watch what they are drinking
Normally sweets are combined with high acid fizzy drinks or fruit juices at a Halloween party, but this is a really bad combination for your teeth. Try to get them to drink water, as this will help clean their teeth, if they really want something sweet, limit fizzy drinks or juice and make them drink it through a straw for minimal contact with the teeth.
- Let them chew gum
Sugar free chewing gum is a great way to clean teeth and keep your mouth healthy, but it still feels like a treat! Read our blog post about chewing gum and dental health for the low down
- Don’t panic
Just one day of high sugar foods doesn’t create tooth decay, so don’t worry too much. Just make sure that they brush their teeth really well at the end of each day and try to encourage better brushing in the lead up to Halloween so their mouth is really clean and ready to deal with the attack.
We are a family friendly dentist in Marbella which specialises in paediatric dentistry, so if you have any concerns about your child’s teeth, please come and see us for a check up.
