With Halloween right around the corner, younger children will soon have a huge bag of candy. Candy is full of sugar and provides little, to no health benefits. However, trick-or-treating is a huge part of the fall season that kids look forward to all year. Children can enjoy their candy while maintaining healthy teeth. Here are some helpful tips you can use to keep up your children’s dental health while they work on their stockpile of sweets:
- Try to limit candy consumption to shortly after eating meals, since saliva production is high which helps to wash away sugary food particles. Additionally, a glass of water with the candy also helps wash out your mouth
- Try to eliminate any candies that would be in contact with your children’s teeth the longest. This includes hard candies and gums that are not sugar-free. Candies that also stick teeth, such as gummies or caramels, take longer to be washed away by saliva.
- Sour candies are highly acidic, which can wear away enamel. Wait 30 minutes after eating sour candies to brush your teeth to avoid brushing the acid onto more teeth surface area
- Sugar free gum can be beneficial to tooth hygiene. It stimulates saliva production, which cleans out your mouth
- Provide a set amount of candy that your child can eat per day
- It is better to eat all the candy you are having for the day at once, instead of spreading it out. When you eat candy throughout the day, you are constantly exposing your teeth to sugar.
- Standard dental care is always necessary (brushing twice a day, flossing, fluorinated toothpaste and mouthwash) but is especially essential when children are consuming more sugary treats
If you have any further questions on candy and dental health, or would like to schedule an appointment, call the Advanced Dentistry of Collegeville team today at (610) 489-5555!
