For parents seeking to protect their children’s teeth, this annual celebration can be a nightmare.
Halloween continues to have gained popularity in the United Kingdom in recent years. Although primarily celebrated in the United States, it has recently taken hold in the United Kingdom and has also become a substantial business concern, with costumes, masks, and other accessories widely available.
If you have children and are concerned about their dental health, you probably hate the idea of them returning home with full bags of sweets and candies, bringing with them hyperactivity, tummy aches, and, most likely, cavity and toothache.
We don’t want to ruin our children’s fun and to be honest, we certainly wish we had a reason to participate as well. However, as guardians of our children’s health, we should be worried about the level of sugar that will be consumed, particularly the damage that it might cause to their teeth.
In today’s Southside Dental Care Glasgow Blog, experts look at some of the ways you can make Halloween more tooth-friendly for your kids without ruining their fun!
Teach And Motivate
This will differ based on your children’s ages. A few simple words on how sugar is bad for your teeth could help children understand why they shouldn’t eat too much of it. Encourage children to be careful about what they collect and, more importantly, eat. This may not work, but it is a nice starting point.
Be In Control
You may not be able to control what your children eat when they are out except if you accompanied them, but because children like to compare and these days presumably share on social media, there is a good chance they will return home with the largest bag of sweets imaginable. You may not like it, but let the children have a few sweets as an immediate treat, then confiscate the remaining from them and gain control of when and what they can have.
Offer Something In Exchange
There is a low probability that they will be refused any sweets at all. Children, on the other hand, are often quite responsive to bribery, and this can be an effective strategy to minimise their sugar intake. Offer to take some of their sweets in exchange for other small delights such as a trip to the movies, a book, or whatever their interest is. This can be a very effective strategy. However, if you do this, please do not eat the sweets yourself and instead pass them on. They have almost no nutritional value and may result in a trip to the dentist if consumed in large quantities.
Select Your Treats Carefully
Almost all bar-specific desserts contain sugar. There’s no avoiding the fact that your children will consume a significant amount of sugar. However, certain sweets are more dangerous than others. Sweets that stick to the gums and teeth for an extended period of time are among the worst. Chocolate, on the other hand, will dissolve faster and create less damage, despite its high sugar content.
Should You Overeat Or Space Out The Sweets?
We’ve all encouraged our children to “stop eating those right now and put them away.” This is understandable, but aside from the possible tummy problems, it is preferable to let them have sweets all at once than to let children consume a few sweets at frequent intervals. Sometimes this method ensures that the mouth never has an opportunity to wash out the sugars before being blasted with more. Make sure they have long gaps between eating their “stockpile” of sweets.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Sweet food usually results in thirst. Ensure that they do not increase their sugar consumption with sugary beverages. These are typically quite acidic and can damage tooth enamel, raising the risk of tooth decay even further. Use this chance to encourage kids to drink water if they eat sweets. This will not only dilute the sugars, but it will also wash them away, preventing the buildup of potentially dangerous bacteria that feed on the sweets we eat and can contribute to gum disease.
Check How They Wash Their Teeth
At the end of a long Halloween night, your children are likely to be hyper from the excitement and, more than likely, the sugar, as well as very weary. The last thing they want to do is spend a lot of time brushing their teeth. Don’t allow them the chance to miss it, and even if you don’t typically do it, keep an eye on them while they wash their teeth before bed, ensuring that they do it properly and for at least two minutes, not including any chatting in between. Also, except for water, make sure they don’t eat or drink anything between now and bedtime. If you can manage this, you will realise that they have gone to bed with their teeth as well as possibly protected.
Southside Dental Care Glasgow wishes you a pleasant and a bit spooky Halloween and reminds you that we are here to help if any dental troubles arise as a result of this or any other oral health problems. Visit our website to schedule an appointment for your children.
