Halloween is only a few days away, and as you make plans for where to go trick or treating, it’s also important to plan how to best take care of your child’s teeth. You don’t want to stop your children from having any candy, but you can help limit the candies that could harm their teeth and focus on ones that aren’t so bad.
Scariest Treats for Teeth
- Sugar Babies: These treats, and any treats with sticky filling, are scary for your teeth because the caramel sticks to your teeth and is hard to remove. As the caramel congeals to your teeth, bacteria starts to feed on it, which can lead to tooth decay.
- Tootsie Rolls:Tootsie Rolls and other chewy candy like Starbursts are small, but don’t eat too many of them because these little candies can stick to your teeth and also cause cavities if you aren’t careful.
- Sweet Tarts: Any candy that you suck on for awhile, like Sweet Tarts, is going to make your teeth unhappy. The longer sugar sits in your mouth, the more likely teeth-decaying bacteria will develop.
Not-So-Scary Treats for Your Teeth
- Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate has certain antioxidants in it that can actually help strengthen your teeth from decay. It’s important though to eat dark chocolate that is 70% cocoa to make sure you are reaping all the benefits.
- Fun Dips: Powdered candy isn’t as bad for your teeth since your child can just put it on their tongue, and swallow it before it even touches their teeth.
- Sugar-free gum: This is one of the best Halloween treats to enjoy since it actually protects your teeth as you chew on it since it creates cavity-stopping saliva.
We hope you and your family have fun this Halloween season, but don’t forget to look out for your teeth. If you and your family are in need of any dental check-ups, contact the Lakeway Center for Cosmetic and Family Dentistry today and set-up your appointment.