Avoiding Cavities: A Halloween Treat
October 29, 2010
Is the pleasure of a treat worth an emergency trip to the dentist?
Children might have no qualms about biting into the jolly rancher or eating sticky candy with braces, but parents are the ones who deal with the ramifications-usually involving an emergency trip to the dentist. Since the holiday is inescapable, some healthy regimen can be implemented in order to prevent the nightmare of cavities and ruined braces. For example, Jolly Ranchers (hard candy) or any soft chewy candy is out of question for those wearing braces.
Below are some practical steps to avoid Halloween becoming a nightmare for both the children and parents and achieve a happy medium.
- Consume Halloween candy and other sugary foods with meals as the saliva produced will be helpful in balancing the acid from the sugar.
- Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time. The more the sugar stays in the mouth, the greater the risk for tooth decay and cavities.
- Avoid sticky candies that cling to your teeth.
- Drink more water.
- Parents should be in control on how much of the candy the children will eat.
- Don’t chew on extremely hard candy, especially if you have dental fillings. This might break the tooth and/or the filling.
So parents, as your children bring in the bags of candy, watch for their candy intake, and save the rest for later. But most of all, enjoy the thrill of the holiday!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Drs. Tabib & Mello and Team