Halloween is one of the most fun times of the year. Unfortunately, it also can be one of the worst times of the year for your oral health! Halloween often comes hand-in-hand with snacks and candy. Sugary treats can wreak havoc on your teeth and cause plaque and cavities. Believe it or not, though, you and your kids can still have fun this Halloween and still manage to maintain good oral health. Follow these tips to have a happy, healthy Halloween!
Pick Your Treats Wisely
The worst candy for your mouth is the kind that stays in your mouth the longest. Hard candies and suckers are especially bad for your teeth because they allow the sugar to stay in your mouth longer. This means a higher risk of tooth decay.
Sticky is Icky
Sticky candies stick around on your teeth and end up staying attached for much longer than other foods. This means that the sugar from those candies is sitting on your teeth for much long. Saliva alone does not wash this sugar off, so it’s a good idea to avoid candy like taffy, caramel, and gummies. If you insist on eating them, make sure you brush your teeth shortly after.
Floss, Floss, Floss!
Eating all those sugary snacks means that sugar gets lodged between your teeth. It’s especially important after eating sweets that you do a great job of flossing to get rid of all that excess sugar to prevent plaque from building up.
Sprinkle In Healthy Snacks
Just because it’s Halloween, doesn’t mean you can’t include some healthy snacks. Offset those sugary treats with this trick: Alongside the sugary treats, try some nutritious snacks for balance. Eating sugary foods is alright as long as you’re not doing it too often, so supplement them with healthy options. Check this website out for recipes for healthy Halloween snacks that are still a ton of fun: http://www.listotic.com/64-non-candy-halloween-snack-ideas/
Limit the Candy Intake
We’re not going to tell you that you can’t indulge yourself a little bit this Halloween—after all, candy is king this time of year! But if you are going to eat candy, make sure you’re limiting how much you eat, what kind you eat, and absolutely make sure you’re brushing and flossing after candy consumption!