Our Dentists in Methuen Share Ways to Protect Your Smile During Halloween
Halloween is almost here! In the mix of decorating and choosing a costume, one of the most exciting parts of the spooky holiday is all of the candy that you’ll be indulging in. While you may feel great in the moment that you’re enjoying all of your favorite chocolates and sweets, your smile may not be feeling the same way. Thankfully, our dentists in Methuen have some helpful tips to keep you and your family’s smile healthy and safe during the candy-filled night.
About 90 percent of all foods contain sugars or starches that work with the bacteria and productive acids to battle against your teeth. If this attack lasts for more than 20 minutes, it can lead to a loss of tooth minerals and cavities. If you’re enjoying something like a lollipop or other hard candy, they tend to last a long time and, therefore, so does their sugary, sweet taste. It sticks around for much longer than normal foods and your teeth will be in constant contact with the flavor until the next time you brush your teeth (which isn’t normally soon after you eat a sweet).
Whether you’re an adult or you have young children, you have to make sure that the teeth aren’t going through a rough time during this tempting holiday. Especially for children, since their teeth aren’t fully developed and can easily suffer from serious consequences. Even if they still have their baby teeth, keeping them healthy will ensure that their permanent teeth stay just as strong, too!
Try to choose the right candies to enjoy during Halloween. There are some foods that stick around and linger for much longer than others, particularly ones of the taffy variation and dried fruit. Some other tips are to get rid of the candies and chocolates right after Halloween—leaving it around will taunt you into eating it all until it’s gone, even though you know that you don’t have to!
Your smile deserves to be taken care of all-year round, so don’t ignore your oral health care when your teeth needs it the most! Give our dentists in Methuen a call at (978) 683-3343 to schedule your routine cleaning or to learn more tips about taking care of your smile.
