Halloween is just around the corner and children across the country are getting ready to dress up in spooky costumes and stockpile bags of sweets accumulated on trick or treat missions!! What is a great night for children could be a ghastly one for their teeth!

Here are a few tips to help prevent a dental horror story

1) Eat Halloween sweets with meals or shortly after mealtimes. This is because saliva production increases during meals and can help cancel out acids produced by bacteria in your mouth.

2) Choose which sweets you eat wisely – Avoid hard boiled sweets that stay in your mouth a long time. The longer your teeth are under attack from sugar the higher the risk of tooth decay. Also try to avoid sticky sweets that cling to your teeth. They take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.

3) Drink Water – drinking water after consuming food helps to re-neutralise the mouth by washing away bacteria and acids. Tap water contains fluoride which helps in the battle of preventing tooth decay.

4) Don’t brush teeth for at least 30 minutes after consuming sweets – It is really important that we all brush our teeth twice a day for two minutes but we recommend not brushing teeth straight after consuming sugar. It is best to let the saliva battle the acid attack and wait ideally for about an hour before you brush.

5) Halloween with Braces – Take special care of children with braces to ensure their teeth and braces are cleaned thoroughly. There are quite a few sweets children with braces need to avoid so as to not damage the braces. The best Halloween treat for a child with braces is chocolate.

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Kate Hampton

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