Halloween season is upon us and you know what that means—candy time!!! At West Gate Dental, while we enjoy indulging in a treat every now and then, our team also gets worried at this time of year for fear that you might not be taking the best care of your teeth. That’s why we’ve decided to compile a list of tips for caring for your teeth. Whether you’re trying to maintain your oral hygiene or teach your child how to maintain their oral hygiene, it’s no matter—read below to find out what helpful tips Dr. Rebecca Sowers and our staff have come up with!
Limit The Number Of Pieces Of Candy You Consume
It’s easy to be tempted—especially when you come back from trick-or-treating with a bucket full of candy. You may not mean to, but if you sit down with your all of your candy winnings from the night in front of you, you risk finishing the entire bucket of candy before the night is out! Before you sit down to enjoy your pieces of candy, we recommend serving yourself a small portion of the candy and placing the rest of your candy in a storage container to save for a later date. This simple act ensures portion control and limits the amount of candy you gorge on. We recommend having no more than a few small pieces of candy a sitting.
Be Selective with Your Choice Of Candy
When you’re out trick-or-treating or handing out pieces of candy to trick-or-treaters at your door, you can’t help but rate the candies you see throughout the night. There are some great pieces of candy (quality, size, etc.) and there are some not-so-great pieces of candy (cheap, saccharine, etc.). At the end of the day, you just know that there are some pieces of candy that are simply not worth eating. After you’re done gathering your candy for the night, sit down, sift through your candy, and decide what should be kept and what should be thrown out. This will not only guarantee that you’ll enjoy every piece of candy that you decided to keep, but it will ultimately reduce the amount of your sugar intake.
Brush Your Teeth After Every Candy Binge
Once you’ve sat down and finished enjoying your Halloween treats, do yourself a favor—brush your teeth! If you’re eating pieces of candy quite often (avoid doing this!), then this will feel like a tiresome chore. If you’re eating candy every once in a while, then this will just feel like a small extra step towards healthier teeth. It’s important that you brush after every candy feast because it removes much of the residual sugar that’s leftover from your candy on and/or in between your teeth. Additionally, this act will ensure that less bad bacteria attacks your gums and your teeth’s enamel.
Drink Water During & After You Eat Candy
Since you’ll be indulging in sweets this month, we also suggest drinking more water. Drinking water is a known preventative measure. Not only does drinking fluoridated water guarantee significantly fewer cavities, it’s also great to do while eating candy as it will to rinse and remove the residual sugar left behind in your mouth. So this year, instead of pairing your candy with sugary drinks such as sodas, punches, or wine, we kindly suggest drinking water instead to avoid cavities, staining your teeth, and even oral diseases!
Contact West Gate Dental—Your Preferred Lincoln, NE Dental Practice!
We hope that you’ll find our tips above very helpful during the upcoming holiday. If you’d like to come into our offices to find out more about the quality general or cosmetic dental treatments we offer, you can schedule an appointment online or you can give us a call directly at (402) 475-8710. Our team of experts are standing by to answer any of your dental questions and assist you with anything you need. Hope to see you in our office, soon!