Mom vs. Candy: 5 Post-Halloween Tips to Beat Dental Decay

The countdown to Halloween has begun. This year, the much-anticipated occasion falls on a school night, but that’s never stopped the ghouls and goblins from filling their sacks with sweets. Get ready moms and dads – it’s time to do some damage control.

Here are 5 helpful tips to minimize the candy craze, sparing the little ones’ teeth from the threat of plaque build-up caused by sugar-feeding bacteria:

Top 5 Halloween Candies to Avoid

Every year on Halloween, the kiddies go door to door for treats and the big pile of candy that ends up at home seems like one big trick. Our advice – don’t let the candy binge last. Chewing lots and lots of sweets one day is better for their teeth than indulging in a few pieces every day for weeks on end.

As you check the candy loot, you’ll do well by removing some of the following tooth-decaying culprits from the stash:

Beware of … Bottled Water?

Tap water is readily available, and it’s free. In addition, the water that flows from public fountains and your kitchen sink doesn’t require the use of plastic bottles that take millions of gallons of oil to make, only to spend thousands of years in a landfill.

If not for the environment or your wallet, perhaps you will ditch bottled water for your kids’ teeth. Our pediatric dentists promote drinking water from the tap because municipal water sources contain a bonus ingredient that most bottled brands lack – fluoride.

Delivered in small doses multiple times a day, this important mineral strengthens tooth structure while inhibiting acid production by bacteria. That’s why fluoride is the primary ingredient in toothpaste and supplied as a gel or foam treatment during your child’s regular cleaning.

Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons to turn on the faucet:

Is that Normal? Two-Headed Baby Teeth and More

Some are sharper and some more blunt. Some are straight and others crooked. No two mouths are the same, and every tooth, from the primary incisor to the secondary molar, has its own dimension and purpose.

We work with teeth all day long and are the first to admit that some chompers are a bit peculiar, especially to the moms who call us in dismay when they spy an anomaly of sorts growing in their child’s mouth. Rest assured, such cases are far more “normal” than you may think, especially when it comes to baby teeth. Here are 5 common examples:

Brush First, then Floss?

Is it better to floss before or after you brush your teeth? If you’re already set in your ways, perhaps a new routine is in order. And if you have kids, it’s best to get them on the right track with brushing and flossing (or is it flossing and brushing?) early on.

The truth is, even dental professionals take different sides when it comes to this debate. There are valid reasons all around, and frankly, we’d be glad just to know you take a stance at all, because it means you’re putting the dental floss to use. Here are some of the arguments favored by the “before” and “after” camps: