Your Cambridge MA Dentist Wants to Protect Your Smile from the Tricks that Your Treats will Pull

Happy Halloween, from our family to yours! On this spookiest day of the year, there are some important requirements for participants—a great costume and some delicious candy. While this generally excites children down to their very core, parents aren’t always as excited. When you’ve come home from a long night out, your children want to dig right into all the candies and sweets that they possibly can. But remember, their teeth could be in danger if they indulge in too many treats! Below, see how your Cambridge MA dentist can help limit the overconsumption of chocolates and candies on the following days after Halloween.

Be Thorough and Keep Your Limits
Before your children gorge on their collection, ensure that every piece of candy and chocolate is safe and there’s nothing within them that could cause harm to you or your family. Once you do that, try to separate and sort the sweets into categories; create a pile for chocolates, chewy candies, hard candies, and the like.

Once this is completed, break these groups up into smaller, gift-sized bags, perhaps adding one candy from each category. This will limit the amount of candy that your children can enjoy so they won’t give themselves a toothache or a stomach ache if they delve into the large piles now. Stash the rest of the portions in a safe place so you can make sure that your children are unable to sneak some when you’re not looking!

Keep Snacking as Healthy as Possible
Although it can be hard to equate health with candy, we believe that balancing any sugar intake will protect your teeth. If your children are indulging in their favorite sweets, try to pair it with a glass of water that needs to be finished. The water will help trigger your saliva, working against the acidity and sweetness to protect the enamels from harm.

Perhaps you can pair some treats with healthy additions—raisins, peanut butter and celery sticks (also known as “ants on a log”) is a popular combination of treats that lives up to its tastiness and has the addition of a vegetable that naturally holds water.

As a parent, you don’t have to dread Halloween night after your children have collected their treats. Work with them, educate them on the harmful nature of certain sweets, and your spooky holiday won’t turn into a nightmare! Give your Cambridge MA dentist a call to schedule an appointment for a cleaning by reaching out to us at (617) 547-1300. Have a Happy Halloween!