{"id":87,"date":"2019-10-31T17:43:55","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=87"},"modified":"2019-10-31T17:43:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:43:56","slug":"halloween-candy-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/31\/halloween-candy-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Frightened of Cavities? Try Following These 5 Halloween Candy Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Halloween\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For many families,\nHalloween means an evening of spooky fun, but once you get back home from\ntrick-or-treating you\u2019ll have a new horror to face: trying to protect your\nchildren from cavities after they just built up a stockpile of candy. This might\nseem difficult, but luckily your dentist can offer 5 Halloween candy tips that can\nhelp make sure those treats don\u2019t ultimately lead to a dental emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Sort Through Your Stash<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What kind of candy did your children bring home? Some\ntreats, like chocolate, aren\u2019t as harmful for your pearly whites because the\nsugar doesn\u2019t stay in your mouth for very long. On the other hand, treats that\nprolong sugar exposure (such as taffy that tends to stick to the teeth) tend to\npose a higher risk for dental problems. There are other dangers you need to keep\nin mind as well. Chewing on hard candy could break your teeth, and sour, acidic\ntreats will weaken your enamel. Be very selective on what you let your children\nkeep. You can send extra candy to charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Discourage Snacking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A little candy once in a while shouldn\u2019t be a problem, but\neating a lot throughout the day could easily lead to tooth decay. Pay attention\nto your children\u2019s snacking habits, and make sure they don\u2019t visit the candy\nbowl too often. In general, it\u2019s better to save those treats for after dinner,\nwhen the mouth tends to produce more cleansing saliva that will help cancel out\nthe acids that create cavities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Create a Healthy Diet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can help mitigate the damage caused by the sugar your\nchildren consume by giving them plenty of tooth-friendly foods. Crisp, crunchy\nfruits and vegetables like apples and broccoli can act as natural toothbrushes,\nhelping to remove food particles and bacteria while they\u2019re being chewed. Cheese,\nlow-fat yogurt and other dairy products contain calcium that promotes stronger\nteeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Give Your Children Sugarless Gum as a Treat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Letting your little ones chew on some sugarless gum for\nabout 20 minutes after a meal will increase their saliva flow and help decrease\nthe risk of tooth decay. It can make a great alternative to other kinds of\ncandy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Make Sure They\u2019re Brushing Well<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your children should be brushing at least twice a day. Make\nsure that you\u2019re replacing their toothbrushes every three or four months; if\nthe bristles are frayed, they won\u2019t do a very good job of cleaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there\u2019s only so much you can do on your own. Talk\nto your dentist about the current state of your child\u2019s oral health; if your\nlittle one already has a cavity or is at a higher risk for decay, their\ndentist  can provide the preventive\ntreatment and protection<\/a> they need. Remember: it\u2019s okay for the whole family\nto have fun on Halloween, but smile safety should always be one of your top\npriorities as a parent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ukti Phandis enjoys all kinds of dentistry, especially\nwhen she can help Wethersfield families protect their smiles and keep them healthy\nfor years to come. She takes a genuine and compassionate approach that will\nensure younger patients have a positive experience. If you have concerns about\ncavities this Halloween, you can make an appointment at her practice, the\nWethersfield Dental Group, by visiting her website<\/a> or\ncalling (860) 400-3007. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many families, Halloween means an evening of spooky fun, but once you get back home from trick-or-treating you\u2019ll have a new horror to face: trying to protect your children from cavities after they just built up a stockpile of candy. This might seem difficult, but luckily your dentist can offer 5 Halloween candy tips […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions\/89"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}