Your little one’s zombie costume might be nerve-wracking, but a mouth full of dental decay can be scary enough to keep you up at night. However, you don’t need to withhold their Halloween treats to ensure their oral health. Instead, follow these easy preventative dentistry tips at home for a fun, safe holiday.

How to Prevent Tooth Decay This Halloween

1. Avoid Sticky Candies

While any kind of sugar fuels the oral bacteria that cause dental decay, certain types of candies are especially damaging. Sticky candies like caramels, gummy worms, and fondant-centered chocolates cling to the teeth, allowing oral bacteria to do more damage. Before your child delves into their basket, remove these sticky confections. 

2. Limit Exposure 

Although many parents tell kids to suck on candies rather than bite them to prevent chips and fractures, continuously exposing the teeth to sugar can cause problems as well. The pH of saliva lowers as soon as your child eats sweets, resulting in a more acidic environment. That combined with constant sugar exposure will soften dental enamel and make teeth more vulnerable to decay. Instead, offer your child Halloween candy sporadically and don’t let them nibble throughout the day. 

3. Encourage Dental Health

You already encourage your child to brush and floss as part of their normal preventative dentistry routine. Make a point to promote good dental health by giving your little ones extra non-food treats for the holiday. Drop a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste in your child’s candy pail, along with a spooky note about what might happen if they don’t use their new tools. 

Halloween might be a stressful evening for parents concerned about their children’s teeth, but remember, it only comes once a year. Ease your worries and book a post-Halloween preventative dentistry appointment with Honolulu Keiki Dental in Hawaii. Their dentist, Dean T. Sueda, DDS, MS, has been voted among the Best  Dentists in Hawaii each year since 2009 because of his commitment to patients. Find out more about the clinic’s services online and call (808) 944-1603 today to make an appointment for your child.