I cannot prove it, but I think it is no coincidence that October is National Dental Hygiene Month and also the month that hosts..Halloween. Halloween is a season of fear in the dental world. Not of ghosts and goblins but of much scarier real nuisances like plague, tartar, cavities, and of course sticky gooey candy that sticks to dental equipment like braces. No they do not have movies or creepy costumes but they can do some damage if you fill your mouth with sticky, sweet sugary foods without proper dental care.
Halloween Dental Care For Lynchburg
Luckily Halloween is the last day of the month. Here are some simple steps to add to your repertoire of Halloween damage control strategies as we begin the sugary season.
The Candy Plan
First have an actual plan. Naturally if you read this far I am guessing you got this. Don’t go into Halloween without any idea of what you are going to do to prevent a November dental disaster. Start with some simple rules and go over them with your kids. The worst thing you can do is just wait until your children roll back in with mountains of candy from one end of Lynchburg to the other.
Intake
I would highly suggest some system of measuring and organizing the candy that comes in. Work out some system of distribution where the kiddies can have so many pieces a week. The rest of the candy I would freeze or put away in a nonchalant place. Don’t just have it sitting there in plane view were it can not just tempt your children, but you.
Education
We live in a knowledge economy. Everyone, children included, wants to know more and more. So use this opportunity to go over the damage that eating too much candy can do to their teeth and gums. Use this as a chance to show them online diagrams and science of what is going on when that innocent little piece of sticky candy enters your mouth.
Remind
Remind is nice way of saying nag. Call it what you will. You have to make sure you are reminding your children to drink lots of water and brush after sticky treats. It is that important to their oral health.
Yes there are lots more but these are some simple starting points for your to mitigate the long lasting effects of Halloween.
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Article Citations
“12 Tips for a Healthy Halloween.” Mouth Healthy TM, www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/h/halloween-tips.