Ahh, it is that time of the year again, Halloween. Time to pass out treats to the costumed kids.
For a number of years we lived on a street in town where most everyone on the street put out decorations and where thousands of people came to our door every Halloween night. And I do mean thousands. One year we even used a counter and stopped counting when we got to 1200. For most of those years we passed out disposable toothbrushes along with their candy treat. Yep, we were that house. As the years passed we would hear parents tell their children to go up to the house and get their toothbrush. I don’t know how excited the kids were, but the parents seemed to like the idea. We got the feeling from some of the kids that this was the first new toothbrush they had all year – and it was a disposable one. I imagine the first Halloween after we moved people wondered what happened to the toothbrushes.
I remember the fun I had as a kid going to neighbor houses and getting a candy treat. I never wanted to be the house that didn’t give out candy so adding the tooth brush was my way of trying to set a good example. Halloween can be fun for kids, but the dental problems that can arise from eating all of those sugary treats is not so fun.
Having a piece of candy or two is not going to lead to massive tooth decay. However, if children are allowed to eat their way through huge bags of candy there can be problems down the road. They can still have candy, but they shouldn’t have it one piece of candy after another all day long. The constant snacking provides a continuous supply of sugar and that feeds the bacteria that causes decay. It is best if kids indulge only during mealtimes to limit their exposure to sugars.
The most important factor to keep in mind are the types of candy and how the treats are being consumed. Acidic and sweet candies are some of the worst offenders. If the acid in the candies is allowed to stay on the teeth the enamel can erode, leading to decay. Sticky treats such as taffy and gummy candies get stuck on teeth and expose the teeth to sugars and bacteria. On the other hand, chocolate melts in the mouth and does not generally coat the teeth. I like to tell kids that the bacteria eat the sugar and then “pee” on their teeth. This is an image that they seem to remember.
A good thing to do when your kids head out for trick-or-treating is to make sure they have a bottle of water with them. They should be told to swish the water around their teeth after they sample any of their Halloween goodies. This dilutes the sugar and acid. As soon as they get home they should brush their teeth and make sure that as they work their way through their Halloween treats they are vigilant with the care of their teeth.
Children with braces have even more to be concerned about. Hard candy can cause brackets to pop off, leading to longer treatment times. Hard candies and chewy, sticky candies are hard on teeth with braces. I noticed that one of the orthodontists in town is buying back the
One last word about trick-or-treating: be aware, be smart, have fun!
0 comments:
Post a Comment