Halloween is a fun holiday, a chance to dress up in costumes and take your kids trick or treating. However, all that candy won’t just give your kids a tummy ache, but could also increase the risk of tooth decay. In today’s blog, your Charles City, IA, dentist talks about tips for keeping smiles healthy and cavity-free.
Halloween and Tooth Decay
When children consume lots of candy, especially sticky and chewy ones, this leaves behind sugars trapped on and between the teeth. Bacteria has the opportunity to break down these particles, a process that raises levels of oral acidity and coats the teeth in a sticky layer of plaque buildup. Plaque eventually erodes and wears down tooth enamel, exposing the sensitive inner structures to bacteria and allowing a cavity to form. Children eventually experience toothaches and tooth sensitivity and unless treatment is offered, the risk of an infection only increases!
Healthy Alternatives
When your children bring in their haul, try to limit how much they consume each day and encourage them to follow their sweets with a glass of water. In additional, you can offer them the chance to exchange their candy for a small toy or small amount of money, so they still enjoy the holiday without putting their smiles at risk. For houses handing out treats, instead of candy, why not offer packages of trail mix or nuts and crackers? You can also hand out temporary tattoos, stickers, and creepy party favors, like spider rings and little skeletons. Kids then enjoy fun treats that don’t put their smiles at risk of developing cavities!
Routine Care
Through the fall and winter, we seem to be inundated with holidays that encourage the consumption of sweets, including pies, cookies, and more. This makes routine care all the more important, so you and your child both need to brush your teeth for two minutes when you wake, and again at night before going to bed. You also need to floss in between each tooth, moving the floss tape up and down the sides of each tooth and dipping below the gum line. Seeing us every six months for a checkup and cleaning also means we can examine your smile and remove plaque buildup, helping people of all ages maintain optimal oral health and treating possible problems areas in the earliest stages. If you have any questions about keeping smiles healthy and bright, then contact our team today. We would love to help you all enjoy healthier and brighter smiles!
Does Your Family Need an Exam?
Routine preventive care helps our team offer families optimal oral health. To learn more about keeping cavities at bay, schedule a visit by calling Central Park Dentistry in Charles City, IA, today at (641) 228-1115. We also proudly welcome patients from Osage, New Hampton, and all surrounding communities.
