Halloween is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the spooky, the bizarre, and the absurd. While October is a great month for enjoying a few favorite monster movies or cracking open a classic scary story, the dental community has its concerns about the copious amounts of candy thrown around during this time. Here’s a brief guide to how you can keep your teeth shiny and healthy while enjoying the spooky fun of the Halloween season.
Banish the Specter of Tooth Decay with Excellent Oral Hygiene
The human mouth is home to billions of oral bacteria, and some of them can cause nasty infections like tooth decay and gum disease if you don’t take the proper precautions. To make sure that these germs don’t have the sugar they need to multiply rapidly and start causing damage, stick to a daily oral hygiene regimen that includes brushing, flossing, and rinsing with antibacterial mouthwash. It’s a great idea to floss and brush between meals as long as you wait at least thirty minutes after eating so your enamel has time to recover.
Drink Plenty of Water to Keep Your Mouth from Becoming the Plaque Lagoon
Simple sugars like those found in candy make excellent fuel for the harmful bacteria in your mouth, and overindulging on Halloween treats can leave your teeth coated with a sugary residue that can lead to destructive oral infections. To help prevent this, make sure to drink plenty of water while enjoying your candy, as this will help dilute sugar, flush away plaque and food debris, and promote healthy saliva flow. Fluoridated water is best since it also helps fight cavities.
Smart Eating Decisions Are Like Protective Spells for Your Teeth
Some candies are less harmful to your oral health than others. For example, sticky candies like taffy and caramel can become stuck to the teeth, hard candies coat the pearly whites with sugary residue as you suck on them, crunchy candies can damage your enamel, and sour candies are highly acidic, making them some of the worst things for your smile.
Dark chocolate, on the other hand, is low in sugar and high in antioxidants, and it can help rub plaque away from your teeth as you chew it. Dentists recommend chewing sugar-free gum after meals to help eliminate food debris that can lead to oral infections. It’s a great idea to enjoy your candy with a healthy meal so the sugar can be safely scraped away by the fibrous textures of nutritious foods. Hard cheeses and raw fruits and veggies like apples, carrots, and celery are particularly excellent for keeping your teeth clean.
There’s no better accessory for a spooky costume than a gorgeous grin. Maintaining excellent habits during the Halloween season can help you keep a beautiful smile for life.
About the Practice
Care 32 Dental offers outstanding oral health services to the community of Fort Worth. Led by Drs. Krunal Desai, Heliben Desai, and Vasim Momin, the staff ensures that each patient receives exemplary dental care in a friendly and welcoming office environment. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. For more tips on protecting your smile when you celebrate Halloween, contact the office online or dial (817) 741-1300.