Treat Your Teeth and Still Trick-or-Treat

Treat Your Teeth and Still Trick-or-Treat

Treat Your Teeth and Still Trick-or-Treat

Nothing spooks an office full of dentists more than unlimited stashes of candy in the hands of our pediatric patients (and their families) after a night of trick-or-treat festivities. Don?t get us wrong, our Krengel Dental team loves celebrating Halloween and we enjoy the tricks and treats too, as long as our patients? teeth are also being treated accordingly. So how do you trick-or-treat and treat your teeth? Here are some tips from your Krengel Dental team on how to keep your sweets and your best smile.

  • Choose the Candy you Keep Carefully 

As a general rule of thumb, always sort through the candy you collect during trick-or-treating to get rid of any candy that is not properly wrapped, open, or looks suspicious in any way. Then, we recommend tossing the candy that could be really hard on your childrens? teeth. Hard candy and sticky candy can do a lot of damage to teeth, leading to tooth breakage and causing tooth decay. Getting rid of these options off the bat can be a helpful step in a tooth-friendly direction.

  • Designate a Treat Time

Instead of leaving your kids in charge of where the candy goes and when it is eaten, we advise parents to designate a daily treat time. The best time for your teeth to have a sweet treat after a meal because there will be increased saliva production to help rinse away food particles. 

  • Use Treat Time as an Incentive for Brushing

Some of our parents have made Halloween an excellent opportunity to educate their kids about the impact sugar has on teeth, teaching them about the importance of brushing and flossing after eating goodies. We have noticed that kids? ears perk up when earning treats is part of the program, so take the time to explain why brushing is such a big deal, and reward your kids with a treat for keeping up with brushing. 

  • Stick to The Same Plan

That whole ?monkey see, monkey do? expression is absolutely true, and the monkeys are watching around Halloween time. While it?s easy to fall into a sugar-fix trap and snack on Halloween candy for the next few weeks, the excess sugar will take a toll on your teeth. Stick to treat time with the whole family and consider either donating excess candy or freezing it somewhere out of reach. Your Krengel Dentist will thank you, but more importantly, so will your smile.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and boo-tiful  Halloween! If you have any questions about Halloween and your dental health, your friendly Krengel Dental team is here to help, so  go ahead and give us a call at 952-888-1311.