6 Healthy Halloween Dental Tips

The long days of summer are passed and Halloween is just around the corner. Soon you’ll have witches, monsters and ghouls hounding your door for candy. And if you’re lucky (or unlucky), your kid will come home with a giant bag of candy to munch on. That’s right, we know you secretly eat from their hoard! With that in mind, the whole family could use some Halloween dental tips. Don’t worry, Treehouse Dental Care has your family’s needs covered.

Our goal is to help children, youth and adolescents build the foundation they need to maintain healthy and happy smiles. That’s why we write this informational blog and provide the best pediatric dentistry in the Greater Toronto Area.

Keep reading to find out how you can keep your teeth safe this Halloween!

6 Healthy Halloween Dental Tips

With a revolution in candy happening, your child has more options to choose from, and likely gets a bigger bounty than you ever saw as a child. That’s why it’s important to think ahead for a healthy Halloween. Preparation with good habits and regular check-ups are both good ideas.

It’s a good idea to get your child in for their regular appointment before Halloween. That way we can address any issues like cavities that might get worse with a higher sugar intake.

If you’re due for regular cleaning, don’t wait to give us a call at  1-833-993-6287. Our dentists and orthodontists in Toronto, Etobicoke and Thornhill have been working with patients in the Greater Toronto Area for over forty years.

1. Daily Brushing

If you haven’t locked down this healthy habit with your kid, the best thing you can do is start now. Brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes with a CDA-accepted fluoride toothpaste will protect your child’s soft enamel from all the sugar they’re about to eat.

Don’t forget to replace your kid’s toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles fray. A worn toothbrush doesn’t do much for cleaning and can be worse for spreading bacteria. Yuck!

2. Make Your Child Floss!

Flossing is one-third of an important at-home oral hygiene routine for your child– well, for everyone. If you floss once a day, you’ll notice a big improvement in your smile. Decay-causing bacteria get stuck in hard-to-reach places. From there, they cause problems like cavities or bad breath. That’s why it’s important to floss daily. It helps remove food and plaque from between your teeth. To wrap up this Halloween dental tip, you can always try a water flosser to make the activity more fun!

Is flossing a battle in your home? Don’t worry, we’ve got some expert tips on how to get your kid flossing here.

3. Don’t Drink Sugary Beverages

These are truly the worst offenders when it comes to wearing down your enamel and cavities. While soda and pop are the worst offenders, fruit juices, sports beverages, and flavoured waters are all very bad for your child’s health. If you’re worried about the toughness of your kid’s teeth, it’s a good idea to take a break from these drinks. Or, if they’re an important part of your diet, try using a straw.

4. Eat Healthy Foods

Your body is a complex machine that is powered by the food you eat. Or, more simply put, you are what you eat! And that goes for your mouth too. If you maintain a healthy diet with balanced nutrients, then you will have a healthier smile. Fibre is particularly useful, as chewing it is similar to brushing! And don’t forget to keep hydrated! A hydrated mouth has fresh breath and cleaner teeth.

To take a look at the most common dental problems in kids and teens, our article here goes into deeper detail.

5. Choose Candy Carefully

Alright, enough of the preparation details! You want to know the Halloween dental tips you can do the night of the big event. One of the most important things you can do is to limit your child’s hard candy or candies that stay in your mouth for a long time. Aside from snacking habits, the length of time that sugary foods spend in your mouth increases the rate of tooth decay. That’s the last thing we want, so make sure you’re limiting your kid’s access to things like lollipops and suckers.

6. Promote Sugar-Free Candy

You know you love breaking the rules. Well guess what– you can keep sugar-free candy in your mouth as long as you want. That’s right. If you need to get your hard candy fix, swap some of your kid’s candy for sugar-free options. Or try handing them out at your house yourself!

Avoiding Decayed Halloween Teeth

From Halloween through to Valentine’s Day, your family is bombarded with holiday candy. There’s only so much you can do besides total absolution– and no one wants a buzzkill parent. The answer is to find a healthy balance between good habits, compromises, and healthy solutions. Pro parents always have a plan! Many dentists recommend having your family pick out their favourites and then donate the rest. Every community has children too sick or injured to go trick-or-treating. Turn some of those sugar woes into smiles for someone else this year!

Halloween Dental Tips With Treehouse Dental Care

As Halloween approaches, make sure to have an action plan ready. And in the weeks to come, build up your family’s daily healthy habits. The best defence against cavities is preparation! For example, switching to fluoride toothpaste can build back enamel! Once Halloween comes around, there are a few candies you should avoid. Stay away from hard and sticky candies, and try sugar-free alternatives. Aside from these at-home options, the best Halloween dental tip we can give you is to come down to our office for your regular appointment!

If you’re looking for more information on products you can use for your child, check out our article on toothpaste here.

And keep an eye out for Treehouse Dental Care’s blog for future updates on how you can keep your teeth safe throughout the holiday season.

Remember, Halloween is just the start of a long journey in keeping your teeth safe! Treehouse Dental has the expert information and services you need to protect your kid’s teeth.