As we come close to the peak of the spooky season, it’s important to be aware of certain sweet treats that may be wreaking havoc on those little fangs!
Obviously, some sweets and trick or treating is a huge part of the Halloween tradition, so Bandon Dental is here to help families navigate how to keep those gnashers nice and sharp this this Halloween with expert advice on keeping teeth healthy!
Choose Wisely; What are the Worst Halloween Treats for Your Teeth?
Kids are going to have sweets at Halloween, it’s a fact of life, but there are certain sweets that are worse for your teeth than others, so what should you be keeping your little ones away from this October 31st?
Gummies & Jellies
Generally speaking anything too sticky or gummy should be avoided when possible. Gummies can get stuck to the teeth, even after brushing, meaning that the sugar contained within the gummy is just sitting on the teeth, slowly doing damage and working away at the enamel, which increases the risk of decay and/or cavities.
Caramels/Toffees
Who doesn’t love a bit of toffee? Well, unfortunately the answer is your teeth! Much like the gummies, toffees and caramels can be quite sticky, which means it takes longer to get them actually away from your teeth. Some even refer to toffee’s as a dentist’s worst nightmare – It’s hard, it’s sticky and it’s sugary. Because toffee’s are so hard, they can crack or even chip teeth, this combined with the stickiness means it’s definitely one to avoid this Halloween.
Chewy Sweets
See a bit of a trend developing? If you need to chew and chew and chew something before it’s ready to swallow, chances are it’s not doing your teeth much good! Chewy sweets often take a lot of time to actually break up properly, meaning particles of the sugary sweets can become lodged between the crevices of your teeth in quite hard to reach areas – again, this is giving the sugar in the sweet more time to chip away at your enamel, weakening the protective coating of your teeth.
Lollipops
It should come as no surprise that lollipops aren’t great for your teeth, but would you be shocked to know that they can be one of the worst offenders come Halloween? Lollipops are made up of a lot of sugar and can do a lot of damage to your oral health as they take much longer to consume.
Effectively, when you suck on a lollipop the bacteria in your mouth that feeds on sugars are stimulated far more than if you were to have a little piece of cake for example – After the lollipop is gone, the bacteria then feeds on the excess sugars in the mouth for about 20 minutes. Then, this bacteria produces an acid, lowering the pH levels in your mouth and eating away at the enamel in your teeth! Have enough lollipops this Halloween and you’re seriously bumping up your risk of cavities.
Sour Candies
Particularly sour sweets can cause a big issue and it all comes down to their pH levels – Generally speaking, teeth start to be affected by acids at a Ph level of 4 – acidic sweets will sit at roughly 3 on the pH scale and the more extreme ones can even get to a Ph score of 1.7 – car batteries sit at 1.0 on the Ph scale, so food for thought!
Sweetest Strategy – Eat in One Sitting
It may sound counterintuitive, but the best strategy is to actually do all of your sweet consumption at once as opposed to spreading it out over time! (We can hear the kids cheering from here…)
Why? Well it’s all about minimising the amount of time sugar is actually spent in contact with the teeth. Ideally, you’ll have a few sweet treats just after or during a large meal as the body will create additional saliva at this time in order to break down food and cleanse the mouth. It’s advised to consume sugary sweets in less than 30 minutes and avoid reintroducing sugar to the teeth repeatedly, this only increases the risk of cavities.
Once you’re done eating, give it another 30 minute or so before brushing and flossing, this will allow your good bacteria and saliva to do it’s job and naturally patch up any damage done.
What are the Alternatives? Preventative Measures?
It’s very important for kids and adults alike to enjoy Halloween and you can do so with some healthier alternatives. Bandon Dental has listed some of their teeth friendlier alternatives below ;
Filter The Feast : Dark Chocolate is King
It’s hard to 100% say no to treats, but if you want to give something to your small ones and not feel too guilty, dark chocolate is a good option as it contains less sugar that milk chocolate and is also packed full of useful antioxidants. So if you’re looking for a quick treat, this is your go to.
Bars WITH Nuts
So, as we’ve already gathered, sweet, sticky, chewy food items generally arne’t great for your teeth. However, if a chewy bar has some nuts in it, it can break up the stick consistency which will leave sugar on the teeth for far less time than a regular bar. Just remember to brush afterwards as there will obviously still be bits of debris left in and around the teeth.
Preventative Tips & Things to Remember
Limit sweets to mealtimes to allow saliva to wash away sugars and drink water to help neutralise acids and rinse away sugar after consuming treats. Always remember to brush your teeth daily (and floss!) to ensure all surfaces are clean. Lastly, we’d recommend scheduling a dental check-up after the rush of the Halloween break and get things in order just in time for Christmas!