How To Make Halloween Fun For Kids And For Teeth

Halloween is a favorite holiday for many kids and adults.

What’s not to love about getting dressed up and going trick-or-treating?

Well, for little teeth, it can be a scary time and the fear is cavities!

Eating sugar can damage tooth enamel and cause cavities over time.

There are ways to minimize the damage and ways you can help other little teeth stay healthy for this spooky holiday.

Trick-Or-Treat That’s Good For Your Teeth!

Giving out candy for Halloween is tradition.

Kids expect treats.

If you don’t want to be the house on the block giving out baby carrots or raisins, there are some treats you can give out that aren’t quite as bad as others.

Anything with caramel, taffy, or sticky coatings should be avoided. They will get stuck in teeth and stay there until a thorough brushing takes place. If you must give out candy to fulfill your own Halloween wishes, opt for a candy with simpler ingredients like natural plain chocolate bars.

With warnings going out to parents to look for candy that may have been tampered with and suspicious snacks given out on Halloween, it’s probably not a good idea to give out homemade candy unless you know all the families on your block and they know you aren’t trying to poison their kids. It would be unfortunate for all your hard work of making candy to go to waste. Save that for your own Halloween party.

While being the house that gives out veggies on Halloween isn’t cool, being the house that gives out natural fruit juice boxes (with straw) and a toy is just fine. Those kids- and their parents- have been walking around the neighborhood all evening and are probably thirsty. Warm apple cider (again, if you know your neighbors) or cute 100% natural fruit juice boxes (no added sugar) are a better alternative to giving out a Snickers bar for Halloween. Water bottles are also a good idea to help flush some of the sugar off little teeth and kids are more likely to drink water if it comes in a bottle that looks like a mummy (this can used for juice boxes or water bottles!).

Let Them Indulge (And Then Brush Their Teeth Real Well)

Don’t forget the spirit of the holiday being celebrated. Yes, sugar can be damaging but if Halloween is one of the few times of year you or your kids overindulge, a thorough brushing can mitigate a lot of the harmful effects. Be sure to floss to get the sticky bits out from between your teeth.

We have seen some pretty scary costumes for Halloween including clowns, movie villains, and zombie brides but you can’t go wrong dressing up as 40% of the populations’ nightmare- The Dentist! That’s right, if you’re looking to frighten your friends, dawn some scrubs and bring out those pointy instruments. Add a little blood and maybe a cordless drill and you’re guaranteed to inspire some nightmares, but hopefully you’ll save that for your adult friends! You could also go as a friendly molar if you want a less spine tingling costume.

Quick Recap

Avoid:

• Caramel
• Chewy
• Sticky

Try:

• Plain chocolate
• Natural, sugar-free juice
• Toys

Try to schedule a dental cleaning for your little ones after Halloween and be sure to teach good dental hygiene habits at home!

Stay safe while trick-or-treating this year!

Image: Philip Dean

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