Tricks For A Tooth Friendly Halloween

For those of you who have not visited my parent help articles blog http://phoenixsmallsmiles.blogspot.com this is a repeat of the post there for Halloween. These are tricks too good to miss when you have small smiles to shepherd through the holiday safely.

Halloween is one of our most fun holidays. Who doesn't like to play dress up, do startling jokes and get together with friends around a theme? For our kids especially, it is a time to indulge in imagination and delicious yet safe scariness.

It is NOT so great for small teeth. In the days before during and after there is an unusual amount of sugars eaten at odd times which can lead to some danger for small teeth. And, it is a time for potluck parties and home treats that sometimes have less than professional chefs. Caramel and toffee gone hard can lead to tooth shattering experiences.

So, here are some simple tricks to make sure your child's treats are tooth friendly:

Extra brushing. Between friends and parties and pocketed treats, twice a day may not be enough. Check in another time or two and send them to do a quick "treat brush" during the day.
Show them how to savor a candy apple or caramel treat. Shoe them to give it a lick fort (so they can get a warning if it is a rock) and then a nibble ( a scraping of teeth against outside of the treat) and then to slooowwwly sink their teeth in. Let them know that if the teeth don't sink in then that this is a licking treat like a tootsie pop -- not a biting treat.
Remove home made treats from the Halloween candy bag unless you know the house they came from. As sad as it is to waste a treat made with love, you cannot know what has come out of a stranger's kitchen. Although many urban myth sites claim the razor blade in the food story never happened, there can be honest mistakes that can occur such as a splintered stick end or nuts that are just not shelled well that can hurt tender gums.
Above all, keep track of how much candy came home in the bag and the rate it is eaten. You will want to continue to check for extra better flossing (caramel and toffee can cling) and add in some extra brushes until it is ALL gone.

Wishing you all have a spine tingling fun and safe Halloween!

Karen Chu DMD

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