Halloween is over, but your kids likely still have tons of candy sitting around. Now, dentists are warning parents to make sure kids are brushing their teeth after all that sugar.
You might think all candy is bad for your teeth, but it turns out some are better or worse than others.
Dr. Dongkook Lim with Alderwood Children’s Dentistry tells us it’s all about how you take care of your teeth after a sweet treat.
“What’s scarier than Halloween is actually real dental decay,” Lim said.
Dr. Lim admits even he loves sweets, but like all good things, they need to be in moderation.
“I’m a dentist but I still get treats, I think we need some luxuries in life,” said Lim. “It’s not like we can’t ever have candy, but we can be more selective.”
The Halloween candy haul is always fun to chew through, but some treats cause dental issues more than others.
“Something like a dark chocolate melts off your teeth easily and it is easier to clean, but something like gummies or Jolly Ranchers will stick on your teeth and go deep in the grooves and crevices. That is hard to clean,” Lim said.
When and how you eat candy can also cause problems.
“Medically, it’s not a good thing to eat all of your Halloween candy at once, but dentally you don’t want to snack through the day, you should pair it with a meal,” Lim tells us.
Essentially, when you snack on sweets throughout the day, that prolongs the amount of time your teeth are exposed to sugar.
However, he said it’s best to have good habits already established ahead of the hallowed holiday.
“If you have that, even after their Halloween treat the kids are going to go back and brush their teeth, floss their teeth, mouth rinse afterward,” Lim said. “If you set good eating habits to begin with, kids will want fruits and veggies instead of sugar and sweets.”
The bottom line? Make sure the kids are brushing before bed as they enjoy that bag full of sweets this weekend.
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