Don’t let Halloween scare away your healthy smile!
You might be eating more candy than you normally do, but with help from our skilled team at Just Smiles, we can help your oral health stay on track with our comprehensive care and modern dental treatments that keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy.
It’s Not The Sugar You Should Fear. It’s The Bacteria!
The short version of this is that eating too much sugar is bad for your teeth and your health.
The longer version is that the real danger isn’t the sugar. It’s the bad bacteria in your mouth that feed on the sugar you should be concerned about.
The sugary particles on and between your teeth after you eat candy are consumed by bacteria, and this feeding frenzy sparks a process of acid production that erodes your tooth enamel.
That’s how you get tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.
So if you’re not going to avoid eating Halloween candy, here are a few tips to keep that sugar from affecting your dental health:
*Stay Away From Hard Or Sticky Candy*
Crunching on a piece of hard candy poses an obvious risk of breaking or chipping a tooth. But sucking on hard candy or eating gooey, sticky candy may be even worse.
That’s because your teeth are exposed to sugar much longer, giving bacteria plenty of time to eat the sugary residue that sticks to your teeth.
*Don’t Use Your Teeth As Tools*
Although tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body, that doesn’t mean your teeth are entirely indestructible. So instead of using your teeth as tools to open candy wrappers or packages, only use them to bite and tear your food. This will lower your risk for a damaged tooth on Halloween.
*Rinse Your Mouth With Water*
It’s not practical to tell you to brush your teeth after every piece of candy you eat. Instead, try rinsing your mouth out with water just to rid your mouth of as much sugar and food particles as possible until it’s time to brush again.
*Chew Sugarless Gum*
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol found in most sugarless chewing gum to sweeten it. Not only has xylitol been shown to not feed harmful oral bacteria as real sugar does, but it’s been shown to actually fight it!
*Fill Up On Healthy Food Before You Eat Candy*
To practice moderation more easily, don’t tear into your Halloween candy on an empty stomach. Instead, eat a healthy meal first, and only bring out a piece or two of candy as a sweet treat afterward.
Call Us For An Appointment
Worried that you might have tooth decay or a cavity as a result of all that candy?
Then be sure to visit us for a dental cleaning and exam!
Call Just Smiles in Hilliard, OH at 614-215-9089 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.
