Ask Your Boise Dentist: How Do I Survive Halloween?

With the Halloween holiday comes ghosts and goblins and lots of surgery treats.  Some of the treats can even play some unwanted tricks on your teeth.  How to survive the fun sugar-filled holiday? Well your Boise dentist has comprised a Halloween Candy Survival Guide!

How do candies and treats cause cavities?

The bacteria in you mouth eat the sugar and leftover food stuck in the grooves of you teeth and produce a weak acid as a byproduct.  That acid will start breaking down the enamel of your teeth and contribute to cavities.

Have no fear—and definitely don’t go hanging up your vampire cape just yet.  Dr. Schmidt at Green Tree Dental encourages his patients to enjoy the holiday.  Your Boise Dentist Dr. Schmidt has even been caught saying “It’s just fine to splurge and eat some Halloween candy, as long as you’re brushing and flossing regularly.”

What Halloween treats are the best?

1) Chocolate!

Oh yes, that’s right!!! Chocolate is probably one of the best candies you’ll find in your Halloween loot.  Your Boise dentist encourages chocolate rather than some of the other candies because it washes off of you teeth fairly easily.  If it has nuts in the chocolate that’s a plus too as it helps naturally clear the sugar off of the teeth. Lastly, reach for the dark chocolate as it contains less sugar than milk chocolate.

2) Sticky and Gummy Candies

Be careful with the sticky candies as they tend to pull off dental restorations.  Nobody likes losing a filling or a crown. Additionally, the sticky candy will stay in the grooves of your teeth longer giving the bacteria in your mouth more fuel to cause cavities.

3) Popcorn Balls 

Oh they are so delicious! If you’re reaching for a popcorn ball this Fall season just beware of biting into an “old maid” as they can be very hard and can fracture your teeth.  Your Boise dentist, Dr. Schmidt also suggests getting the floss out when you’re done as occasionally the kernels can get stuck in between your teeth and in your gums.

3) Sour Candies

Sour candies might be something to pass on this year.  The sour ones can be very acidic which can damage the enamel, or outer layer of your teeth, making them more vulnerable to cavities and more sensitive to cold temperatures.

What else can help?

Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking plenty of water helps neutralize the pH in your mouth so the cavity process is slowed.  Water also helps remove some of the residual food stuck in the nooks and crannies of your teeth so that the bacteria does not have a food source.

Of course avoiding sweets such as candy is always a good thing, but some of the most cavity inducing foods are ones people often forget about such as crackers, fruit snacks, dried fruit, soda pop.  We encourage our patients at Green Tree Dental to swap out the cavity causing foods for items like cheese, apples, carrots.  Your Boise dentist also encourages people to eat foods that contain Xylitol such as in IceBreakers or Spry gum and mints.  Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar that inhibits the cavity causing bacteria.

Regular Check-ups

Give the team at Green Tree Dental a call to set up your next check-up.  Regular check-ups can help on the prevention side of the coin and can allow you to enjoy Halloween and all of the holidays this season.

We hope you will “like” and “share” this post. If you have questions about this or any other oral health topics, please talk to your Boise dentist Dr. Schmidt and our team at Green Tree Dental.