Halloween is just around the corner, and everyone, both kids and adults, are excited to indulge in sweet treats. Although Trick-or-Treating may be a fun activity, don’t forget to consider the impact it has on your oral health.
As you check the candy loot, remove some of the following tooth decaying culprits from the stash:
- Candy Corn: This bite size candy seems harmless. However, some of us grab it by the handful. Candy corn contains a high amount of sugar and can often lead to tooth decay. If you’re not careful, you could end up eating an entire bag.
- Chewy Sweets: Gummy candies and taffy can be difficult for children and adults to resist, but they are a serious source of tooth decay. It often gets stuck in the crevices between teeth, making it difficult to remove.
- Sour Treats: Sour candies, such as Warheads, Sour Patch Kids and Sour Skittles, have high acid levels that can break down tooth enamel quickly. The good news is that saliva slowly helps to restore the natural balance of acid in the mouth. It is recommended to wait 30 minutes to brush your teeth after consuming sour candies. Otherwise, you will be brushing acid onto more tooth surfaces, increasing erosive action.
- Hard Candy: Any candy that stays in your mouth for an extended period of time is more harmful for your teeth than candy that is quickly consumed. Examples of these candies include lollipops, Gobstobbers and Jolly Ranchers. Hard candy lowers the pH in your mouth, creating a more acidic environment that is more conducive to enamel erosion and decay.
- Caramel Chocolate: Candies, such as Milky Ways and Twix, contain caramel, a gooey substance that sticks to your teeth and is hard to rinse out when you get a drink or from the saliva in your mouth. That means that more harmful bacteria and acids grow, which put your teeth at an increased risk of decay.
By encouraging good oral hygiene, Halloween can be a fun, cavity-free holiday! If you forgot to schedule your last six-month check-up, now’s a good time to get back on track and visiting your dentist at his/her dental office. A pediatric dentist can help your child get the best oral health possible.
