Enjoying Halloween Cavity-Free

We want to help our patients and their family enjoy their Halloween fun without the risk of cavities, protecting their teeth from painful symptoms and the risk of an infected tooth. We have a few tips for doing this! In today’s blog, your Cleveland, TX, dentist has a few simple tips for protecting your pearly whites.

How Candy Causes Tooth Decay

What makes candy such a danger for our smiles? When you consume a lot of sugar-rich candies, particles of sugar will cling to the teeth or become lodged between them. Without proper care to address them, oral bacteria will break them down and consume them. This elevates harmful oral acidity levels, and also coats the teeth in plaque buildup. This buildup will harden with time into tartar, and cannot be removed with brushing and flossing alone. This could weaken outer enamel to cause cavities and painful symptoms like toothaches and tooth sensitivity. Which is why you need to take action to protect your family’s smiles this Halloween!

Smile Healthy Halloween

For a smile healthy Halloween, try to limit how many treats you eat each day, and reserve these pieces for after dinner, when increased saliva production can help safeguard your smile by removing sugar. Likewise, drink a glass of water to help rinse away the sugars too. As a parent, you can offer kids a chance to select their favorite pieces and trade the rest to you for a toy or a small amount of money. If you happen to be handing out the treats this year, you could help little smiles in your neighborhood by offering healthier choices like granola bars, nuts, or trail mix. You could also avoid candy altogether with party favors like spider rings and plastic skeletons or bats, or fun options like stickers, temporary tattoos, and crayons or pencils.

Regular Dental Care

Your family can also practice good oral hygiene habits to protect your smiles. Every day, kids and adults alike need to brush their teeth for two minutes in the morning and before bed, and use a fluoride toothpaste too. In addition, flossing every evening is absolutely essential as well! These actions help remove stray sugar particles to protect your smile from major buildup. A checkup and cleaning visit is also beneficial, as you can undergo an exam to see if you need a filling, and the cleaning can remove all buildup completely from your smile. A visit now is a chance to obtain this and also use your remaining dental insurance benefits before they expire!

Talk To Your Cleveland, TX Dentist About Preventive Dentistry

Preventing tooth decay helps you avoid painful symptoms and the risk of infection. For more information on helping smiles about dental cavities, then contact your Cleveland, TX, dentist, Dr. Uhrenholdt, by calling (281) 592-1234.