Halloween is around the corner,
which for most children means bags of free candy and a chance to build up the
stockpile of sweets for the winter. Being one of the most fun times of the year
for families, Halloween can also present parents with a variety of health and
safety challenges.
The American Dental
Association, America's premier source of oral health information, has prepared
a list of 10 suggestions to help parents maintain good oral health for their
children around the Halloween holiday and throughout the year.
- Consume Halloween
candy and other sugary foods with meals.
Saliva production increases during meals and helps neutralize acids produced by
bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.
- Avoid hard candy and
other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time.
Besides
how often you snack, the length of time food is in your mouth plays a role in
tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth
for a long period of time subject teeth to prolonged acid attack, increasing
the risk for tooth decay.
- Avoid sticky candies
that cling to your teeth.
The
stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by
saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.
Above
article from: ada.org
Springhill Dental, PLLC
3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285
North Little Rock, AR 72117
Telephone: (501) 955-0155
Regular dental exams not only help to decrease a
patient's risk of oral diseases, such as cavities and periodontal (gum)
disease, but they may also help to diagnose other, sometimes life-threatening,
medical conditions. 