The most frightening day of the year is Halloween, but not for reasons you might think. You see, children can get scared during this time of the year as it is associated with ghosts and monsters, but it is nothing compared to the concern a parent has about their child’s mouth and the effect the excess candy will have on their teeth. Too many sweets will lead to cavities, and it is important for parents to prevent this from occurring.
Most of the time children will want to eat all of the candy they collected that very same night. You should plan ahead to try and dissuade your children from eating too much candy without having to nag them. For starters, you can begin the night by cooking a big, hearty meal for your children. It is inevitable that children will eat candy on Halloween, but filling them up on dinner will help to limit their intake.
Another strategy is to filter out candy that is especially bad for a child’s teeth. For example, you can start by removing any candy that is soft and sticky. These are the kinds of candy that get stuck in between teeth for long duration’s of time. Examples of these types of treats include Laffy Taffy, Starburst and JuJu candy. On the night of Halloween, you should also make sure the child drinks water and brushes their teeth after they finish eating their candy to help flush as much sugar out of their mouth as possible.
The process of monitoring their candy intake should get much easier after Halloween night. If you survived the night without them devouring all their candy, then it should be much easier for you to ration the candy over a long period of time. Don’t let them keep their candy in their room. Instead, take control of it and give them a few pieces of candy throughout the day. You can put a piece of candy in their lunch for school or you can give them a piece as dessert after dinner. Having them eat the candy after a meal will help flush out the bacteria and sugar because their mouths will have produced saliva by that point which will help neutralize the acidity that is produced by mouth bacteria.
The final way to limit the intake of sugar on Halloween is replacing candy with healthier alternatives. For example, you can try sugar free candy. In addition, snacks like string cheese, chips and soft pretzels work great too. Other ideas include toys like vampire teeth, fake tattoos, colouring books and glow sticks. Every parent knows it is inevitable that their children will eat candy on Halloween, it is a tradition after all, but it is important to manage their intake to ensure that there won’t be any long-lasting effects on their oral health. Halloween should be a fun and spooky night for both kids and parents to enjoy. Following these simple tips will allow everyone to have a good time without having to worry about the oral health repercussions of too much sugar.
Author Bio:
As a parent, dental blogger Fiona Strobach understands the importance of finding professional cosmetic dental services in Toronto (or the city where you live). Fiona trusts and highly recommends the staff at the Dawson Dental Centres and encourages you to visit http://dawsondental.ca/our-locations/aurora-dentist/ to find a centre near you.