Keeping Your Teeth Healthy This Halloween

It's that time of year again - the time of year when ghosts and goblins run amuck, vampires lurk in the darkness, and perhaps scariest of all . . . cavities and tooth decay begin having a heyday! While we love Halloween just as much as the next dentist, there are some things we recommend to help keep those pesky sugar bugs at bay.

Healthy Halloween Habits

It is such a fun time to walk the neighborhood, trick-or-treating with friends and family, and then enjoying your huge stash when the night ends. But, there may be more than just a bad tummy ache in your, and your child's, future. One of the worst things you can let your child do on Halloween is over-consume. Getting candy is fun, sure, but having cavities develop isn't. Here are a few tips to keep your Halloween healthy:

1. Limit Candy Intake - your child may be thrilled about their haul on Halloween night, but as their parent, be sure to set limits on how much they can consume. Let them pick out one or two of their favorite pieces and then put the candy away for the night.
2. Don't Forget to Brush - it may have been an exhausting day of Halloween festivities, but make sure your child takes the time to brush and floss before bedtime, especially after they eat candy. Bacteria that cause cavities, 'sugar bugs', absolutely love sugar. The more sugar found on your child's teeth, the more those sugar bugs will want to take up residence. Remind your child to brush for two minutes and floss before they hit the hay!
3. Donate Candy - there are many organizations that will take your child's candy in exchange for prizes or even cash. After you let your child pick one or two of their favorites, have them go with you to donate the rest of their candy. Our office is offering a Candy Buy Back this Halloween (learn more about that below), but there are many organizations you can find that will do something similar.
4. Give Out Healthy Options - it may sound lame, but giving out healthier options to the trick-or-treaters who stop by your home can be fun! Who says you HAVE to give out candy? Choose cheap toys or fun coloring pages to drop into those treat bags! If you are set on giving out candy, try to choose candy that won't linger on the surfaces of teeth too long and that wash away easily, such as chocolate.

There are many ways to have a safe, healthy, fun Halloween! Our entire team at Timber Kids Dentistry wants to wish you a very SPOOKY holiday!

Timber Kids Candy Buy-Back

We are so excited to be offering a Candy Buy-Back event at our Ashland location this Halloween! Simply bring in your unopened candy on November 2nd, 2022 from 1pm-4pm. We will give you $1 for every pound of candy! Candy will be sent to our Troops.

Location: 1146 Iowa St Ashland OR 97520