Fall is here, and with it comes cooler weather and seasonal holidays. This means apple cider, pumpkin-spiced everything, Halloween candy, and upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas pies and cookies. All these sweet treats pose a danger to your teeth — if you’re not careful.
This is especially true of Halloween, where the goal is for kids to get as many delicious sweets in one night as they can — and to enjoy them for days (or weeks) afterward. While it sounds delightful (at least for the kids), frequent candy eating is a major risk factor for tooth decay.
Here, we look at some practical ways to protect teeth during the fun of trick-or-treating, and see how Dr. Roge Jacob and Dr. Magdalena Azzar and the Hillsdale Dental Care team can help the residents from in and around San Jose, California, prevent cavities with routine care.
First, we should understand basic parts of the teeth: the enamel layer that covers them, the dentin underneath that gives teeth their color, the cementum that covers the root, and the pulp inside the root with nerves and blood vessels sitting under the gumline. Enamel is very dense (the densest material our bodies make), but sadly, it’s not impervious to damage and decay.
The vast collection of microorganisms in your mouth — called your oral microbiome — contains millions of germs and bacteria, many of which work to help keep teeth healthy.
However, sugars (including carbs) from the foods we eat work with the harmful bacteria to erode the enamel layer, where they can create cavities, or decay, and cause tooth loss.
Kids will definitely want these popular, tasty sweets on Halloween, but they can do a lot of damage to their dental health:
The tartness is delicious, but sadly, the amount of citric acid in them is pretty corrosive to tooth enamel. In fact, some sour treats have acidity levels similar to battery acid.
Caramels, gummies, and taffy all give kids plenty of flavor — and a sticky residue that stays on teeth and gets stuck in the tight spaces between them. Healthy oral bacteria and saliva can’t remove everything, however, and the lingering sugary residue left on teeth combines with the harmful bacteria, gradually wearing away the underlying enamel.
Whether it’s in the form of a plain candy bar or one that’s filled with nougat or caramel, milk chocolate treats have high quantities of sugar to give them their flavor, along with fillers and additives that make them stick between teeth — raising the risk of cavities and gum disease.
To keep your child’s mouth healthy this Halloween, you should:
If they’re going to enjoy candy, it’s best to let them indulge after a meal — either lunch or dinner, but not both. Eating a bigger meal promotes increased saliva production, which makes teeth cleaning easier. It also helps you foster better post-meal brushing habits.
Halloween is the one day when candy is often allowed, but it’s better to reduce their intake of sugary snacks overall. Don’t let your child get into the habit of snacking on candy until their Halloween haul is all gone; instead, offer fresh fruit, nuts, and other healthy treats to satisfy their hunger in between meals.
Chocolate can be fine in small doses, and dark chocolate is better for your teeth. But whatever type they have, encourage them to indulge in smaller amounts.
Both these types of candy can inflict a lot of damage to tooth enamel, especially if your child doesn’t brush and floss as thoroughly or as regularly as they should.
Daily brushing and flossing can help reduce the amount of these particles in your child’s teeth and gums, but it’s not always enough. To protect against cavities, make sure your child has a professional cleaning and dental exam with our team every six months.
Halloween candy may be delicious, but it’s also dangerous to teeth. Fortunately, taking these measures can help protect them and keep them cavity-free. For more ways to protect your child’s oral health all year long, call 408-404-8385 to schedule a visit with our Hillsdale Dental Care team today.
