7 Tips and tricks to keep your teeth healthy this Halloween
Halloween is a time for being spooky and pigging out, but this doesn’t mean your teeth should be neglected in the meantime. Keep reading to find out the best ways to care for your teeth this Halloween.
1: Brush three times a day, and we are being deadly serious
Halloween is the most important time of the year to follow this rule. You should be brushing your teeth three times a day, in the morning, after your lunch and then before bed, all year round but due to the increase in sugary treats your teeth are most vulnerable to decay during this spooky season. And if you feel like it, you can brush your teeth more often around Halloween just to protect them from the excess sugar.
2: Do some serious flossing
We’re sure you’re used to your dentist nagging you to floss every time you brush your teeth, but when the amount of sugar you are eating increases the more likely it is to get lodged in between your teeth. Cleaning between your teeth is vital to stop your teeth from decaying, your saliva is unable to flush the sugar away naturally when it is stuck in hard to reach places.
3: Timing is key
It’s always best to eat sugary Halloween sweets shortly after finishing a meal. This is because the amount of saliva your mouth usually produces doubles following a meal, this excess saliva helps to wash away excess food particles that can lead to tooth decay.
4: Leave the snack draw alone for a while
We understand that it's near enough impossible to avoid sugary snacks completely, no matter how bad for your teeth they may be. But limiting yourself to a certain amount of sweets a day around Halloween is important to make sure you’re not overindulging and causing harm to your pearly whites. This means no snacking on a lollipop here or chomping down some haribos there, this frequent Halloween snacking is what does the real damage.
5: Have a Plan
Many families end up stuck with mountains of Halloween candy that the kids have collected whilst trick or treating; although it is tempting to sit down and eat the whole lot, we do recommend refraining from doing this. It might be a good idea to get your little ones to pick out their favourites and donate the rest.
6: Just stick to chocolate this year
It can be hard to turn your head away from chewy sweets and sweets that may be tough on your teeth, but to prevent tooth decay this is vital. Of course, the odd chewy sweet is fine but recommend donating or giving away the majority of your chewy sweets.
If you experience any breakage or problems to your teeth or braces during Halloween, contact the practice on 0161 884 1481 to book an emergency appointment.
- Mohammad Malik
