Halloween Time is here and so therefore Candy Time is here. As a dentist concerned about the oral health of our patients, let’s talk about Halloween candy.
First of all, for those of you who have been through our free and very entertaining Plaque Control Instruction…you may remember this. SUGAR DOES NOT HARM PLAQUE FREE TEETH! Oh yes, now it is coming back to you. Tooth decay occurs when a colony of bacteria, like a furry little moldy bio-film on your teeth, produces toxic acid waste and holds it in place until the acid dissolves tooth structure. The germs that make up this plaque colony always produce acid, regardless of whether you eat anything or not…even candy. So it is best to just get and stay plaque free with careful daily brushing and flossing and the use of other aids. BUT IF YOU MISS SOME PLAQUE AND FEED IT SUGAR…it produces 3 times the acid for 20 minutes per sugar exposure.
SO GET THOSE KIDS PLAQUE FREE BEFORE they hit the Halloween goodies. And maybe limit the exposures, in case they missed some plaque. Gooey or sticky sweets hang around longer and really add up the exposure time. But remember a plaque free tooth is safe from the ill effects of sugar…not the rest of the body mind you… but the teeth, if clean, do not suffer. You might use a disclosing tablet and help your child check for missed areas right before the big night (consider the added effect of a scary red mouth…Boo!). Plaque re-grows about every 24 hours, so a once-a-day thoroughness is mandatory, all the time, aside from Halloween issues.
So how about this proposal? Get the kids plaque free in the afternoon of the Big Night, then let them eat what they want of the treats when they get home from trick or treating. After they are asleep, leave a small amount in their bag-under-the bed but go through it first, discarding questionable and low quality items. Take the rest and divide it up into little plastic baggies, with just enough that you would allow in their school lunch in each bag, and freeze it. That way you can grab a baggie and throw it in their lunch on certain days when you have deemed their morning oral hygiene better than usual. Reward/Incentive. It never hurts.
As for suggestions about handing out apples and nickels instead of candy (I’ve even tried brushes and toothpaste, mind you :> ) I say DON’T. Give the little Goblins what they want. My attempts at saving the neighborhood kids from the Demon Decay only got my house egged and my pumpkins smashed. Now I give them Snickers.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN,
Dr. Presley-Nelson
