When Halloween arrives, your kids will be inundated with candy. While we love trick or treating, we also know that too much sugar could lead to cavities in little smiles. But our team has a few tips for cavity prevention. In today’s blog, your Fort Bliss, TX, dentist talks about how we help kids avoid the onset of tooth decay!
Halloween and Tooth Decay
When kids binge their Halloween candy, this leaves sugar trapped on and between the teeth. This is especially true if they are eating chewy and sticky candies, like those with caramel. As oral bacteria consume these particles. This elevates oral acidity levels and coats the teeth in plaque buildup. The buildup then weakens and erodes the outer enamel to cause cavities, and is also linked to bad breath and teeth stains. To help protect the smile, limit how much candy your kids can eat each day, and try to reserve them for just after dinner when saliva levels are higher. A glass of water to help cleanse the mouth helps too. Some parents even let kids choose a few favorite pieces and trade the rest in for a small amount of money or a toy.
If your family is handing out treats to kids this year, consider fun options that don’t contain any sugar. For example, Halloween-related stickers, temporary tattoos, and party favors like spider rings or little bats or skeletons.
Checkups and Preventive Treatments
Our team can also provide preventive treatments to help lower the risk of cavities in little smiles. With a checkup and cleaning, we can examine the smile for signs of trouble and also remove all plaque and tartar with a cleaning, lowering the risk of cavities in the process. In the same visit, we can apply fluoride to the teeth to strengthen the enamel and make cavities less likely to form. Since many children have trouble reaching the molars in the back of the mouth when they brush and floss, we can coat these with dental sealants to prevent sugar from clinging to them or being caught in between the teeth. Applying sealants takes seconds and they can stay in place for up to ten years in some cases!
Brushing and Flossing
Caring for your smile from home is helpful too, which is why children should start and end their day by brushing for two minutes with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Kids need to floss every evening too to remove what a toothbrush cannot reach. If you have any questions, then contact our team today.
SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT FOR CHILDREN’S DENTISTRY
You can call Fort Bliss Family Dentistry in Texas at 915-895-3678. to book treatment and obtain cavity prevention care for your children!
