You know sugar leads to cavities. Then how will Halloween damage your smile? Is there any way to get through without getting cavities or worse? Call either of our dental offices today: Bridgeport/Trumbull at 203-372-1220 or Shelton at 203-378-9737. With our dedication to your dental health and advanced training in dental exams and dental cleanings, you can stay healthy this Halloween.
Halloween Candy Is A Sweet Problem
Candy is the centerpiece of Halloween. Even costumes are a means to get free candy. And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some sweets at Halloween.
But you must be careful. Harmful bacteria in your mouth love sugar. The more candy you eat, the more you are at risk for problems like:
- Cavities
- Gum disease
- Infected teeth
Tips For Keeping Teeth Healthy During Halloween
You can’t skip Halloween, so here are some tips for not letting this great holiday ruin your smile.
Chew sugarless gum with xylitol.
Sugarless gum can help two ways.
- It rubs off sugars stuck to your teeth.
- Xylitol (a sweetener) fights harmful bacteria.
By chewing sugarless gum with xylitol, you can help fight against cavities and gum disease.
Call us today to make an appointment for after Halloween. This way, our highly trained dental team can both clean and examine your teeth.
Rinse with water after eating candy or sugary drinks.
Both candy and sugary drinks like soda or fruit juice coat your teeth in sugar. Harmful bacteria thrives on sugar, so you’re laying out a nice dinner for the cause of tooth decay and gum disease. Rinsing with water helps get rid of those sugars.
By calling to schedule a dental exam today, you can identify cavities while they are still small and manageable. Our dentists are highly skilled at spotting problems such as oral cancer, cavities, and gum disease. The sooner you know about it, the easier it will be to treat it.
Eat a full meal before going out trick-or-treating.
It’s hard to resist snacking on candy when you’re hungry. Trick-or-treating on an empty stomach can lead to eating way more candy that you had intended. Eat a full meal before you head out with your kids around the neighborhood.
Then call our Bridgeport/Trumbull or Shelton dental offices to schedule a post-Halloween appointment. Candy can hurt your teeth and gums, so a dental exam from experts in dentistry like our team can help detect any problems caused by all that candy.
Pass on sticky candies like taffy or caramel.
While they are tasty, candies like taffy or caramel are very sticky. As you chew, sugary bits get stuck all over your mouth. This just makes it more likely you’ll have to deal with cavities or gum disease. There’s plenty of other candy to enjoy.
Call us today at Bridgeport/Trumbull (203-372-1220) or Shelton (203-378-9737) to schedule your post-Halloween dental cleaning. Our hygienists know how to remove plaque and tartar built up by too much candy. And when your teeth are clean, they’re healthy too.
Don’t use your teeth to open anything.
Many people tear into hard-to-open wrappers with their teeth. However, that’s not how your teeth are designed to be used. Doing so can lead to a slip that damaged your teeth.
If you have such a slip, call us immediately. Our dentists have advanced training in restorative dentistry. From simply cavities to dental implants, we can restore damaged teeth.
Skip hard candies like lollipops or fruit candies.
Hard candies last a while, making them a fun and sweet choice. However, they also coat your teeth and gums in sugar as they melt in your mouth. As with sticky candy, this can let harmful bacteria thrive in your mouth.
That’s why you need to call us today for a thorough dental cleaning and exam. Our team has the training needed to get your teeth professionally clean. Then our dentists can look for any signs of problems while they can still be easily treated.
Enjoy some candy, then get rid of it.
Trick-or-treating is what Halloween is all about. Even if you’re too old, you’ll probably have leftover candy after Halloween is over. That means you’ll have tempting candy just sitting there. Enjoy some of it and then throw it away. Of course, you should enjoy some candy at Halloween. But the more you have, the more damage you’ll do to your dental health.
By calling our Bridgeport/Trumbull or Shelton dental offices today or using our online scheduling tool, you can get a new appointment for dental exams and dental cleanings. Both are necessary to help avoid tooth decay, gum disease, and more.