WE ACCEPT THE CANADIAN DENTAL CARE PLAN (CDCP)
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Halloween also means lots of sweet treats. How can your family enjoy Halloween without getting a cavity? Read my tips below.
1. void treats that are sticky or that stay in your mouth a long time. Gummies, lollipops and candies are the worst for your teeth because the sugar stays in your mouth a long time increasing the chance of getting a cavity. Have a 5-minute rule for lollipops or give out sugar free candies.
2. It’s better to have sweets with your meals instead of as an in-between snack. Every time we eat, our mouth becomes acidic and our body needs time to get it back to a neutral pH. Cavities form during these acidic phases. Minimize snacking, especially sweet snacks, to prevent decay.
3. Decrease how long sugar stays in your mouth. It’s better to finish your sweets quickly then to take an hour to finish it. The more often and longer you expose your teeth to sugar, the higher chance you have of getting cavities.
4. After having sweets, get it off your teeth by either eating a hard piece of cheese or eating a crunchy fruit or vegetable like an apple or carrot. Rinse your mouth with water afterwards. Wait 60 minutes after having something sweet or acidic to brush so that your mouth has time to neutralize otherwise you will be brushing the sweets and acid into your teeth.
5. Choose treats that are less harmful to teeth such as popcorn, sugar free treats, and chocolate.
6. Crackers and chips stick to teeth and break down to sugar which may cause cavities. Just like with candies and cookies, limit eating them, have them with meals instead of snacks, and eat hard cheese or a crunchy fruit or vegetable afterwards.
7. Flavoured drinks are harmful to teeth. Limit juice to one cup a day and avoid pop, water additives, and other flavoured drinks. Water is the best drink for your teeth as there is no sugar and it contains the optimum level of fluoride to strengthen teeth.
8. Sort through the Halloween haul with your kids and put the treats into piles of chocolate, chips, candy, and sticky stuff, and other. Tell them the family is throwing out the candy and sticky stuff, and they can keep the rest for one month. Give them a couple of Halloween treats a day to be eaten with meals or other snacks. Make a rule of no Halloween treats after December 1st. This worked for my kids.
9. Lead by example. Choose healthier options for the treats you will be handing out. Choose sugar free gum, popcorn, chips or crackers which are less harmful to teeth than candy, gummies and lollipops. Even better: give out stickers, toys, erasers or pencils.
10. Follow these tips all year long and not just on Halloween.
Looking for a dental office that you and your children will enjoy going to? Visit our office or watermelondental.ca to book an appointment. You can also call us at 647-946-6070. We are in Caledon in downtown Bolton. We hope to see you soon. Happy Halloween!
