Dental Care Tips for Children During Halloween

Halloween is a fun time for children, but it can also be a scary one. The holiday, which falls on the last day of October, involves characters from various horror movies and scary stories and also lots of treats! Here are some simple dental care tips for children that can help protect their teeth as they indulge in sweet treats this fall! 

Healthy Eating Tips

The foods your child eats during Halloween can affect their dental health. As a parent, you can help your child enjoy healthy treats while controlling the damage that sugary candy can cause. Here are a few suggestions to consider before your children start trick-or-treating!

• Limit the amount of sugar children consume on Halloween night. When kids eat too much sugar, they experience tooth decay and cavities. Encourage them to drink water after they eat the sweets to wash the sugar off their teeth.
• If you do give your kids sweet treats this holiday, make sure to brush their teeth as soon as possible afterward. This will help reduce plaque buildup and prevent cavities from forming.
• At our dental office in Tulsa, we also want to remind our patients to stay safe while they celebrate the holiday. Whether they are going door-to-door for candy or visiting a haunted house with friends, we want to remind them never to go alone and to always stay on the sidewalks when walking to and from houses. This will ensure everyone stays safe.

Oh! Tricky Candies!

Trick-or-treaters should be sure to keep up their good oral hygiene habits on Halloween, as it's easy to lose track of a balanced routine when indulging in seasonal treats. Here are a few tips to help reduce tooth decay this holiday:

• Be selective when choosing which candy to eat. It's best to avoid hard candies and chocolates altogether. Sticky candies like caramels can also make it more challenging to keep teeth clean.
• Drink plenty of water or sugar-free beverages to promote healthy saliva production. Saliva can help prevent plaque buildup on your teeth.
• Schedule a visit with your pediatric dentist in Tulsa before Halloween for a routine checkup and cleaning. We can prepare your child's smile for Halloween trick-or-treating.

To take care of your child's oral health, contact Grant Gerety, DDS at Warren Clinic Bldg # 7, 4606 E. 67th St., Suite 310, Tulsa, OK 74136. Call us at (918) 493-3031 to book an appointment.