With October 31 fast approaching, kids are already looking forward to the sweets they’ll haul home from trick-or-treating. As a parent, however, the thought of all that sugar potentially damaging your little one’s beautiful smile can be a scary thought. Follow these dental care tips to protect children’s smiles this Halloween holiday. 

5 Halloween Dental Care Tips

1. Weed Out the Worst Candies

You will want to sort through your child’s candy to make sure it’s all properly packaged and safe to eat. Take the opportunity to get rid of those items that are most damaging to oral health. Sticky sweets, like caramels, are difficult to clean off of teeth, while hard candies, like lollipops, can damage the protective enamel coating teeth when kids bite them.

2. Limit Snacking

Keep the Halloween stash locked away in a cupboard that kids can’t reach, and break it out only after dinner. Snacking throughout the day allows a constant coating of sugar to sit on the teeth, allowing cavity-causing bacteria to thrive. When kids indulge after dinner, their bedtime teeth-cleaning routine isn’t far off.

3. Encourage Good Oral Hygiene

There’s no time like Halloween to remind kids of the importance of brushing and flossing. If they are too little to get the job done properly by themselves, make sure you help them.

4. Combat Dry Mouth

Saliva protects your smile by rinsing away bits of debris and bacteria in the mouth. It also balances the mouth’s pH level; an overly acidic environment wears away enamel and increases odds of cavities. Encourage kids to sip water throughout the day to keep their mouth clear. 

5. Schedule a Professional Teeth Cleaning

Once the last of the Halloween haul has been eaten, take your kids to the dentist for a teeth cleaning appointment. This can get their smile squeaky clean and shining—just in time for the winter holiday season.

Then dentists at JP Larson, DDS, and Stephen J. Larson, DDS, in Cincinnati, OH, offer comprehensive general dentistry services for the entire family. They focus on enhancing and restoring each patient’s natural smile, teaching the preventive care routine needed to maintain a gorgeous grin for a lifetime. Learn more about the many procedures they offer online, or call (513) 528-1223 today to schedule a dental care appointment.