Protect Your Teeth During the Halloween Season

The average kid will consume approximately 675 grams of sugar on Halloween day. That is the equivalent of eating 170 sugar cubes!

Did you know that Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy each year for Halloween? During the week of Halloween, 90 million pounds of chocolate is sold, and almost 2 billion dollars is made on the sale of candy just days before the holiday. Another staggering statistic is that the average kid will consume approximately 675 grams of sugar on Halloween day. That is the equivalent of eating 170 sugar cubes!

Whether at school or at work, we are bombarded with candy everywhere we look during this time of year. So, how can you protect your teeth? Here are a few tricks!

What Should You Avoid?

There are several tricks to protecting your teeth during this time of year. One is to remember that not all candies are equal. There are some types of candy that are worse than others. For instance, the stickier the candy, the higher the risk is for tooth decay. Gummy bears, skittles, starbursts, and tootsie rolls are examples of candies that take more time to chew and, therefore, stick to and in between your teeth. The longer it takes for the saliva in your mouth to wash away the candy, the easier it is for the bacteria-causing sugars to cause tooth decay and cavities.

Another candy to watch out for is sour candy. For instance, Sour Patch Kids are not only full of sugar, but they are also acidic and can actually dissolve tooth enamel on contact. Finally, hard candies such as Jolly Ranchers or lollypops are even worse because they sit in your mouth for long periods of time; therefore, the sugar lingers, creating more cavity-causing bacteria to build up in your mouth. They can also break fillings and teeth because they are so hard.

How to Protect Your Teeth?

So, we’ve discussed what’s bad for your teeth, but what’s actually good for them? Well here are some suggestions.

• Try to avoid harmful candies
• Get a fluoride boost treatment
• Eat candy around mealtimes
• Drink water after eating candy
• Brush and floss your teeth – the sooner after eating candy, the better
• Have a designated treat time rather than continuously snacking on candy
• Schedule a teeth cleaning

It is really difficult to completely avoid sugar during this time of year. So rather than swearing off all candy, try to incorporate some of the above tips. Discuss these with your kids and try to maintain balance during the Halloween season.