1. Avoid the tacky chewy stuff, this is pure sugar.
The length of time sugary food is in your mouth plays a big a part in tooth decay. Unless it is sugar-free, treats like hard boiled sweets or rock that normally stay in the mouth for a long time mean a constant release of sugar affecting teeth which will lead to an increased risk of decay.
2. Don’t walk and eat your treats wait until you are home so you can brush off the sugar.
Besides the fact that walking or running from house to house whilst eating your sweeties can be quite dangerous, you should try resist temptation and wait until you get home. Once home, kids can enjoy the sweets and probably eat less, this also means you can have them brush and floss their teeth after the sweetie binge.
3. Eat in moderation maybe set up a treat time and limit amount of treats.
Try get into the routine of only allowing sweets around meal times. We produce more saliva during meals and this helps cancel out acids created by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles. It also means your mouth and your teeth get a little rest in between meals!
4. Drink water to flush away food debris and dilute sugar acids.
If they insist on sampling some of their goodie bag whilst out trick or teating, take a bottle of water and encourage kids to drink water after snacking on sweets, it helps flush away food debris and can dilute the sugar acids.
5. Make sure brush their teeth after any treats and use a fluoride toothpaste & mouthwash.
Replace your kids toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job of cleaning teeth. Children aged 12+ should use a fluoride mouthwash regularly especially those who have braces because the rinse can help prevent teeth from acide producing plaque bacterica which can build up under the brackets.
6. Donate some of your sweets to charity or to people who cannot participate in trick or treating.
It’s becoming more and more common that children want to donate some of what they get to other kids less privileged than them. Find out if you’re local community centre or youth club are having a Halloween party you can donate some of your goodie bag to, a good deed for others and for your teeth!