Halloween is the season of ghosts, goblins, ghouls—and cavities! With all the fun and trick-or-treating comes an increased consumption of candy.
Now, we aren’t saying your family shouldn’t go out and enjoy the festivities. However, it is important to consider the best ways to take care of your teeth when everything’s over.
At Telopea Park Dental, we want you and your family to have a great Halloween season while continuing to develop good dental hygiene habits that will last a lifetime. Thus, we’ve put together a few tips and tricks you can follow this spooky season to help maintain good dental hygiene.
Candies to Consider Avoiding
1. Sticky and chewy candies
Although they may not seem scary, sticky candies (including caramels) should be on your radar this Halloween season. Notorious for getting stuck on and between your teeth, these are often some of the worst treats.
Due to their sticky nature, chewy candies are much harder to remove from your teeth and may remain on the surface far longer than other selections.
Chewy candies such as gummies and taffy not only stick in your mouth longer but also have the ability to pull out a filling, bridge, or braces.
Our team at Teleopa Park Dental recommends brushing and flossing your teeth immediately after consuming these types of sticky treats. However, avoiding them altogether when possible is the ideal choice for maintaining good dental health over time.
2. Hard candy
While hard candies are less likely to stick to your teeth, a good amount of caution still needs to be taken.
If you decide to indulge in some hard candies this Halloween, remember to be extra careful; otherwise, you may break your teeth. It’s important to avoid biting down on hard candies as much as possible; you also don’t want to knock any filings loose.
Keep in mind that hard candies can cause problems that are difficult to fix. If you’re looking for a Canberra dentist, the team at Telopea Park Dental offer extensive dental cleaning services to help prevent both short and long-term tooth damage.
3. Sour candy
Providing double-the-trouble when indulging your sweet tooth, sour candies tend to contain a lot of sugar and are also typically very acidic. This high level of acidity can weaken and damage the hard, protective outer layer of your teeth, making them more vulnerable to decay and cavities.
To ensure your teeth remain protected this Halloween season, consider booking a dental cleaning with Telopea Park Dental.
Our Canberra dental office offers a wide selection of dental cleaning services designed to help manage your dental and oral health needs.
Strategies to Incorporate This Halloween
1. Brushing & Flossing
A preventative measure that doesn’t only apply on Halloween, continuing to maintain a proper brushing and flossing routine twice daily ensures long-term prevention against tooth decay, especially when candy is involved!
2. Choose the right drinks
Drinking water should already be an important part of your daily routine. However, when it comes to dental hygiene, this is a step you don’t want to skip.
Drinking water after eating any type of candy can help wash away the sugar and dilute the acid produced by the remaining bacteria inside your mouth.
3. Moderation
Candy is certainly a satisfying treat to have every once in a while. However, over-consuming it can lead to long-lasting damage. It is important to practice moderation when enjoying any variety of sweet treats.
Consider dividing your children’s Halloween candy into small, manageable portions that you can easily control. This will help ensure they are able to indulge in their candy without going overboard.
Having an effective cleaning plan for your teeth can help stop the damaging effects caused by consuming candy.