The sugar content in candy is a threat to your dental health. Avoiding certain types of particularly dangerous Halloween candy can keep your teeth and gums in good shape.
Halloween candy is filled with sugar, which is dangerous to the dental health of you and your kids. Sugar causes bacteria in your mouth to produce acid that forms plaque. While brushing and flossing can help remove plaque from the surfaces of your teeth, some can remain behind by settling into your gums and tooth crevices. Over time, this can wear away at your tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. Protect your family from the risks of tooth decay by practicing good dental health and avoiding trick-or-treat overindulgence with these three types of candy:
1. Sour Candy
The sugar in sour candies like Warheads or Sour Patch Kids is harmful enough to your teeth, but the acids in these sweets makes them even more deadly. When you eat sour candy, their high acidic content can damage your tooth enamel faster than other types of candy.
Your saliva should help to balance out the acidity of these candies in your mouth, but if you have too much, you could push its limits. However, you should avoid brushing your tooth after consuming this type of candy. Doing so can spread acids over more of your teeth. Instead, let saliva help counter the effects of these acids for roughly 30 minutes before brushing and flossing.
2. Sticky Candy
Sticky other treats—such as taffy, caramel, Skittles, jellybeans, and gummies—typically have high concentrations of sugar and syrups. These ingredients cause this type of candy to glue itself to the surfaces of your teeth because they are difficult to break down, increasing your risk of plaque buildup and tooth decay.
While brushing your teeth after having sticky candy helps remove the resulting acids, traces can remain between your teeth if you are not thorough. Before your kids go to bed on Halloween, make sure they are brushing and flossing correctly to prevent dental health problems.
3. Hard Candy
Hard candies like jawbreakers or Jolly Ranchers are also one of the worst types of candy for dental health. Aside from the obvious sugar content, hard candy is hard on your teeth. You or your children can end up cracking your teeth or damaging its enamel when attempting to bite into these candies or while chewing them.
If you do eat hard candy, brush thoroughly to rid your teeth of all traces of it. Pay close attention to the crevices in your back molars, where pieces of hard candy tend to get stuck, and floss between your teeth to remove any plaque from these areas and protect your gums.
Balance out your Halloween feast with healthy foods that can help protect your dental health. If your family really wants a candy fix this Halloween, sugar-free candy or chocolates without sticky fillings are highly recommended.
The most important thing you can do whether or not you consume candy on Halloween is stick to a consistent dental health routine. To keep up with your regular teeth cleanings, make an appointment with the friendly Little Rock dentists at Arkansas Family Dental by calling 501.683.8886.
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