It’s that time of year again and we’re here to reassure you that Halloween treats – in moderation – are nothing to worry about.

In fact this fun holiday can even present an opportunity to teach your children about good oral health habits.

Our top tips for a successful Halloween season:

• Moderation. Once your child arrives home from trick-or-treating or Halloween parties with their collected goodies, help them go through their treats and have them pick an allotted amount of their favorites. The rest should be out of sight, out of mind. We’ve had great success donating left over candy to local food banks, the fire station or police department as a gesture to our community service men and women.
• Choosing the right TYPE of treat. If possible, try to steer kids away from the super sticky treats that have a tendency to really stick down in the grooves of teeth. Think: taffy, gummies and caramels. The length of time that sugary food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay…which leads us to our next tip…
• Brush as soon as possible. We know you won’t always have access to brush immediately after enjoying candy. To help in the meantime, encourage your kiddos to drink water during or right after eating their can dy, which will help wash away some of the excess sugar. And then of course, brush with extra care as soon as the opportunity is available.
• Parents helping other parents. You can be an active part in helping keep little mouths healthy this Halloween. Be selective when choosing the treats that YOU will pass out during trick-or-treat or parties. Your best bet is to choose chocolate over sticky, gummy, hard or sour options. Dark chocolate in particular has less sugar than milk chocolate. And this is good news since chocolate is usually a crowd favorite!

From all of us at Northstar Family Dental, we wish you a happy, safe, and fun Halloween season! Don’t forget to schedule your little ghosts and goblins’ checkup before the end of the year – not only is it smart to get checked out during the holiday season with its excess in sugary consumption – but your 2017 benefits will be expiring soon! Now that’s scary!