Just like a fiery cauldron, the excitement over Halloween has been brewing for weeks. The kids are gathering empty buckets that will soon be bubbling over with candy. You’re racing against the clock adding finishing touches to the costumes.
Preparing for trick-or-treating is a hectic time for families, but it’s well worth the effort. Seeing the kids’ faces light up as they become their favorite superheroes and fairy tale characters makes Halloween just as fun for parents as it is for the little ones!
But all that fun can take a dark turn for your family’s teeth and gums if you’re not careful. At Bayou Dental Group, we love taking care of your family’s dental needs. That means making sure we give you some helpful hints for healthy Halloween teeth before it’s time to go trick-or-treating!
Today, we’re sharing your family’s guide to healthy teeth this Halloween. With these four helpful tips, you can escape the ghosts that like to haunt smiles long after the holiday has ended.
Prevent A Halloween Dental Emergency!
Nothing can turn your Halloween upside down quite like a dental emergency. But this year, you’ll be better equipped to prevent possible mishaps that could hurt your kid’s teeth.
A common cause for dental emergencies while trick-or-treating is tripping and falling. You can’t blame the little ghosts and goblins for racing from porch to porch. But all that excitement can spell disaster if your child can’t see where they step. If they fall, especially onto a concrete sidewalk or porch, they could knock out a tooth.
Even with street lamps and porch lights, it’s very easy to trip on a curb or porch step. We suggest sitting down as a family and talking about safe travels for trick-or-treating. You’ll take a flashlight with you to light their way, so this meeting is the perfect time to tell the kids to stay close to you so they don’t fall in the dark.
You can also make sure there isn’t anything on their costume that will impede their ability to move around easily. A costume that is too long or too loose around the feet is going to make a fall more likely!
Beware Of Tricks Candy Play On Teeth!
It would be pretty cruel to keep Halloween candy away from the kids, so we’re not going to suggest that. But some candy is less harmful for their teeth than others.
Kids should be careful with hard candy like suckers, Jolly Ranchers, or candy bars that have nuts or toffee chips. That’s because biting down on candy like that could possibly cause injury to a tooth, another common Halloween dental emergency!
Hard candy also tends to overstay its welcome. Any candy that takes a long time to dissolve just gives harmful bacteria in your mouth more time to feast on the sugar it leaves behind.
Also, beware of candy that’s gooey or sticky like nougat, taffy, or caramel. This type of candy will attach to your teeth and hang on for dear life! It makes oral hygiene more challenging and tooth decay harder to prevent.
Avoid Cavities This Halloween!
You can prevent cavities this Halloween by practicing moderation. This means keeping the candy bowl hidden instead of leaving it on the kitchen counter over the next few weeks.
That way you can ration out the candy as an after-dinner treat rather than tempting everyone in the house to snack on it all throughout the day.
You can also have the kids rinse their mouths with water after they’ve eaten candy. This will help keep their teeth clean in between brushing.
Follow Up With A Dental Appointment!
Dr. Finley and our team at Bayou Dental Group are here to help your family’s smiles stay clean and healthy. That’s why we encourage you to schedule your family’s next dental checkup to make sure you’ve avoided the pitfalls of all that extra sugar
We hope you have a fun, safe Halloween, and we’re so excited to hear about your trick-or-treating adventures during your next visit to our Monroe, LA dental office!
Call us today at 318-323-9303 or fill out our online form to schedule your family’s next dental cleaning and exam.