Have fun this Halloween while eating healthy

Halloween is fast approaching, and everyone would be planning on how they’re going to dress up this season and scare their friends. It would be the time for children to run around their neighborhood, wishing people and collecting candies. While the fun is something that we wouldn’t want to interrupt, we would surely like to advise on the healthy oral habits that you should be following.

Eating a variety of foods during Halloween, including chocolate and candies, may lead to bacterial growth in the mouth, plaque accumulation, and cavities. Moreover, all the delicious food can upset your stomach and make you fall sick later. Hence, it is up to the parents to make sure that their children avoid certain types of food or at least limit them to a minimum, to stay healthy and keep their oral cavity clean.

Ensure that your child eats well before going out

Parents can advise their children not to eat a lot of chocolate while they’re trick or treating. But, no kid would want to keep the candies in their bag and not eat them. It’s just too tempting (even for us)! That being said, it wouldn’t be helpful for you to drive your kid around so that you can keep an eye on them at all times. It would just ruin the fun. But, there’s a trick you can put to use here!

Make sure they have a good meal before heading out with their friends. With a full stomach, they would, without their knowledge, eat only a few candies and save the rest for later. It is advisable to make them something healthy to eat, such as a salad or sandwich full of veggies.

Educate them in a fun way

The best way to make your child understand the importance of good oral hygiene is by explaining it to them in a fun way. Explain to them the importance of eating healthy, limiting the number of chocolates they eat, and what would happen if they eat too many. Advice them to take just one or two candies from each house while visiting homes. This would help them limit the number of candies they eat. It’s good for both their health and teeth.

Limit the consumption of sugary foods

Though eating sugary foods isn’t too bad in itself, the residue left by it in the mouth is the real culprit. The microbes in the oral cavity feed on the food residues and debris. During the process, they release harmful acids that can cause cavities and gum diseases. Hence, limiting the consumption of chocolate, candies, gummy bears, lollipops, etc. should be practiced. Even if children do consume food that has a high sugar content, make sure that they rinse and wash their mouth with water. Keep them equipped with a water sipper when they go out trick or treating.

Share the candies with your children

There’s no way to keeping your child away from the candy until they have eaten them all. Hence, parents can ask children if they would share their candies with others. This is a healthy way to reduce their chocolate consumption.

While teaching children to share their candies, it is also important to help them practice good oral hygiene. See to it that they brush and floss at least twice every day using a soft-bristle toothbrush and a fluoride-rich toothpaste.

Get the best of the season’s dental offers at Fairfield Orthodontics. Call our office at 707-428-3200 or request an appointment online.