Are your little ones planning on going trick or treating this year? If, like many, your children are dressing up for the occasion and wowing neighbours with their ghoulish costumes, there are just a few things to keep in mind. With almost £300m spent on sweets, chocolates and treats alone, to celebrate Halloween each year, it’s important that children’s oral health is considered too.
Let’s face it – sweets and treats are a huge part of Halloween. Youngsters measure their success on the night by how full their bag of goodies is when they arrive back home. But too much of a good thing can be bad. Around a third of children between the ages of 5 and 12 have visible signs of tooth decay – and it’s sugary sweets and treats that are the biggest offenders behind this statistic. While it’s important that your children get to enjoy the event, and the goodies that come with it, it’s key that they don’t go overboard.
Here are tips you might like to consider:
For those buying sweets, think about the amount of sugar likely to be in your trick or treater’s goodie bag and opt for sugar-free sweets instead. If you can’t get hold of any sugar-free options, opt for something simple like plain chocolate buttons.
While common in Halloween party packs, these are among the most sugary sweets and tend to get stuck to teeth very easily. Instead of purchasing the easiest option – a bumper pack of lollipops – think about what might be healthier.
Again, gummies are common in sweetie bumper packs. The problem with these sticky sweets is that they get stuck in the little gaps, cracks and crevices, causing damage and enlarging cavities.
Sour sweets tend to have a higher acidity level and therefore can be detrimental to tooth enamel. What’s worse, is that sweets such as Haribo Tangfastics, which are marketed as sour, are also covered in sugar; a double whammy!
Anything extremely chewy such as caramel is packed with sugar. These can also be hazardous to fillings. Any caramel chocolate bars – such as Snickers and Mars should also be avoided and replaced with other options like a Cadburys Flake.
All fizzy drinks essentially wash the mouth out with sugar and cover the teeth and gums completely. Diet options are a better choice, or low sugar milkshakes.
For more information about the impact of sugar on dental health, why not read our blog about today’s sugar crisis? You can find it here.
Posted on: 26th Oct, 2015
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