4 Tips for a Healthy Halloween Mouth

Summer is in the rearview mirror, and whether you’re happy or sad about that, you can still look forward to the fun fall brings. With October around the corner, Halloween decor is all around, and candy is on the shelves.

If you’re a parent or a sugarholic, you’re already feeling the mix of excitement and dread. You can’t wait for the smiles and trick-or-treat costumes and the excuse to eat all the candy you want. But you know cavities are on the menu, too.

When you want to keep your Halloween mouth healthy and still partake of the goodies collected that night, brush and floss extra, and follow these four teeth-friendly tips.

1. Pick Your Favorites

You have buckets of candy in front of you, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat all of it. Depending on your health, you can indulge in a bit of guilt-free sweet binging. 

However, limit your splurge to your absolute favorites. Give the rest away, or throw it in the garbage before you change your mind.

2. Stick With the Unsticky

In your pile of favorites, do you have any sticky candies? These are no-nos for everyone, especially if you have cavities, fillings, crowns, or braces. 

Sticky candies pull at fillings and crowns and cause your jaw muscles to work extra hard to chew them. 

Some of the worst sticky candy culprits that frequently damage teeth every Halloween include:

• Starburst and Airheads
• Caramels and taffies like Sugar Daddies
• Tootsie rolls and lollipops
• Swedish fish and other gummy candies
• Caramel apples

For grinders with bruxism, your symptoms will likely increase during the Halloween candy-binging season. As JS Dental Lab explains in their article here, you can limit the damage by wearing a night guard, even with braces. Or, you can skip the sticky stuff altogether (which, we’ll admit, isn’t as fun).

2. Say a Hard “No” to the Hard Candies

You pop the hard disks and balls into your mouth with the promise that you’ll let them melt. But no one can resist the urge to crack down on the little butterscotch, peppermint candies, lollipops, or the aptly-named jawbreakers.

These candies don’t get stuck in your teeth and sit for days as sticky versions do. Since you leave them in your mouth and let them dissolve, the sugar begins decaying your teeth quickly. And when you get the urge to bite down on the solid sweets, chipped and cracked enamel often follows.

3. Stop the Popcorn Kernel Damage

Popcorn is a dental headache all year-’round, but at Halloween, it gets worse. During this season, the normal buttery kernels morph into caramel clusters and sticky popcorn balls.

When you eat popcorn, the kernels often stay lodged between your teeth and under your gums for days. This increases your chance of tooth decay. If you must eat popcorn, stay away from the caramel- and other-sticky coated kinds, and floss, floss, floss!

4. Eat Your Candy With a Meal

You probably think you’re doing yourself or your children good by waiting for dessert time to indulge in those Halloween treats. It’s a smarter, healthier idea to eat them during a meal.

While you have a full plate, your salivary glands are working full force. They’re automatically swishing your foods and washing them down. When you toss a couple of pieces of candy in the mix, the saliva washes the bacteria and sugars away.

Instead of drinking juice, soda, or other sugary beverages, add a glass of water to your meal to help flush those bacteria down your throat. Bottled water with fluoride gives you an extra layer of protection against cavities.

Limit the candy intake during and after meals by adding healthy foods to the menu. You and your children will get fuller faster and not be quite as tempted by the sweets on the counter. 

Pro tip: Hide the candy out of sight and away from easy reach. You’ll have to work harder to get to it, which might make you decide it’s not worth the hassle at least a few times.

Conclusion

Brushing and flossing extra is a must every time you eat sweets, so you’ll want to stock up on toothpaste and floss before Halloween. In addition to stepping up your oral hygiene habit, use these tips to keep a happy and healthy holiday mouth.