Halloween is fast approaching, and whether you celebrate by trick or treating with the kids, enjoy a fancy dress party with friends or simply cosy up with a favourite film – there is no avoiding the influx of sweets. The supermarket shelves become stocked with ‘grab bags’ and ‘family sized sharing packs’ – whether you like Halloween or not, the temptation is there.
And that’s okay! Celebrating and getting involved with Halloween, or treating yourself to some extra gummies is fun for both children and adults. But if you are conscious of the impact of sweet treats on your fangs, we wanted to give you some top tricks and treats to enjoy the spooky season while looking after your dental health.
Dental Hygienist Suzanne Masters from Portman’s Walker & Associates Dental and Implant Clinic in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, has outlined 7 ways to help keep your pearly whites healthy and happy:
1. Try to eat and enjoy fun size bars rather than full size. These have just as much taste but less sugar and calories
2. Try to limit the frequency of sugar consumption by eating sugary foods at mealtimes
3. Try to avoid extremely sticky or chewy sweets as they hang around on teeth for longer and are even more likely to lead to tooth decay
4. They may be tempting, but try to avoid sour sweets, as these contain acid, which is harmful to enamel
5. Chew sugar free gum – it helps to wash away acids and bacteria after eating sweets and is good for your jaw health
6. Brush your teeth after eating sweets to reduce the risk of sugar causing cavities
7. Hard sweets and lollipops take a long time to dissolve which leaves plenty of time for your fangs to become coated in sugar, so try to avoid them
If you’re welcoming trick or treaters to your door, we have some alternatives to sweets to include in your Halloween bags:
At Portman Dental Care, we provide a range of solutions to ensure your teeth remain healthy and well. We have a number of care and advice articles to help you whilst you are not in the dentists chair. Find out more below.