Frightening Effects of Halloween Candy on Your Children’s Teeth

The spookiest night of the year is just around the corner, and the ample amount of candy can be your biggest nightmare as a parent. Is Halloween candy and its effects on your children’s teeth enough to give you the chills? Cavities and tooth decay are unnerving enough, but kids on Halloween eat around 4 times the amount of candy eaten by adults. Access Dental & Dentures recommend not eating candy that is too sticky or chewy because it can impact the sealants on children’s teeth which prevent cavities.

1. Not all sugary candies are created equal.

Cavities and tooth decay are caused by prolonged exposure to sugar in the mouth. Not surprisingly, sugar is the leading cause of cavities and tooth decay and the bacteria found in the mouth feeds on the sugar in candy when it turns into acid. This acid attacks tooth enamel causing it to decay.

Some candies are much more erosive than others because of the amount of sugar in them. The main problem with artificial sugar is that our bodies do not know what do to with it. Our bodies are just not equipped to handle artificial foods or sugars. Look for sugar free candy, hard candy, and dark chocolate. Sugar free gum can actually prevent cavities and tooth decay and can increase saliva which works to neutralize the acids in the mouth. Dark chocolate is the healthiest chocolate because its antioxidants are good for your heart and may even lower blood pressure.

Try to avoid sticky, sour, and high sugar content candy. Sugary snacks like candy corn, cookies, and cake can all cause tooth decay from the excessive amounts of sugar they contain, which can lead to increased cavities in your mouth. Sour candies are highly acidic and can break down tooth enamel fast, which will never grow back. But the good news is that saliva slowly helps to restore the natural balance of the acid in the mouth. Our tip: wait 30 minutes to brush your teeth after you eat sweets to allow the acid to harden in your mouth for easy removal once you brush.

2. Candy can weaken bones and teeth.

Eating a whole bowl of candy can have an acidic effect in the blood. Our blood has a healthy pH level and will adjust to stay in that healthy range. If sugar lowers that level too much, making it acidic, it must come back up. To compensate, the blood needs minerals to balance our pH and bring it back to that healthy range. Our cells pull calcium from our bones and teeth in order to protect the blood. Not surprisingly, this leads to weakening in our bones and decay in our teeth.

3. Eat well beforehand.

Candy is a treat, not a source of nutrition. Eating a healthy dinner prior to trick-or-treating will help prevent mindless candy consumption.

4. Keep up good oral hygiene habits.

Halloween isn’t a welcome party for cavities. Stay mindful of you and your child’s candy intake and be sure to follow up with a good brush and floss session. This will help fight tooth decay and will wash away the bacteria that cause bad breath and bleeding gums. Stay committed to your daily oral hygiene habits and make sure you and your child are properly brushing, flossing, and making routine checkups to the dentist.

While we think of mostly kids trick-or-treating, we know that adults will be too. Don’t let the sugar monster stick around, visit the best dentist in Springfield, Osage Beach, and Rolla, Missouri for a cleaning and checkup after your night of frights. From everyone at the Access Dental & Dentures office, we want to wish you a safe and happy Halloween!

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile!

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