Time to dress up the little ones in their favourite superhero costumes, princess dresses, and all manner of goblins and ghouls. They can’t wait for the big day, but many parents find this holiday a battle. With the excess candy and other sweets they will come home with, and of course want to devour, the battle becomes how to prevent children’s cavities at Halloween.

Let’s look at some ideas to make the battle for moderation a bit smoother and enable an enjoyable holiday for everyone.

Make A Plan

Have a conversation with your children before “Trick or Treat” night about when they can enjoy their sweets and how much at a time will be permitted. Set the rules and explain to them how too many sweets can hurt their teeth.

Allowing them to have a treat immediately after dinner is a good idea. This choice helps to wash away the bacteria created by the sugar because saliva from dinner is already present in their mouth.

Find A Happy Medium

Keep track of how many sweets they consume at one time and decide how many times a day you permit sweets to be consumed. The old axiom “everything in moderation” applies here. You don’t have to be the candy police, but strive to find that happy medium everyone can accept.

Be Selective

Certain kinds of candy are definitely more damaging than others. Don’t allow your children to suck on candy for any length of time. Avoid things like gummy bears or caramel. These types of sweets stick to teeth longer so can do more damage.

Any type of sweet that stays in your child’s mouth for a long time helps to create cavities. Hard or chewy candy should be avoided as well.

Brush, Brush, Brush

Part of the rules should be to brush immediately after eating sweets, whenever possible. Making sure your children adhere to this rule will remove the damaging plaque that can collect on their teeth and gums.

Encourage them to pay attention to their back teeth too. And of course, flossing should be part of their brushing regimen.

When your children cannot brush immediately after consuming sweets, be sure they drink water. This simple activity will help to remove some of the bacteria and plaque.

Make Healthy Choices For Them

We all enjoy a sweet treat no matter how old we are, but there are other more healthy choices that can be just as pleasurable.

Offer them an apple and eat one with them. Children learn what they see and will pick up your good habits as well as the bad ones. Drink lots of water and they will too.

Halloween should be a fun time for the whole family. Plan ahead.

• Do a little preparation and have rules.
• Set a good example.
• Be aware of the less desirable sweets.

If you have any questions about how to prevent children’s cavities or need an appointment
Contact Oakville Place Dental Office.