Terrified of cavities!
We hope you have a fantastic Halloween! We have a warm place in our hearts for this scary holiday here at Mead Family Dental. Last year we featured Kathy as an undead pirate. I can hardly wait to see what she’s come up with this year!
As a dentist, Halloween makes me think of two things. Scary Halloween teeth and all that candy.
First…check out some of the very cool, very scary Halloween teeth I’ve found.
For those of you who prefer the horrifying monster look we have “minion fangs” found at www.halloween-mask.com.
“Dental Distortions” (www.dentaldistortions.com) provides several terrifying options for vampire fans.
For those who prefer their fangs on canine teeth you can choose the “nightslayer” option.
My personal preference has the fangs on the lateral incisors on the “nightbreed” model.
If you prefer a more demonic look I highly recommend the “Lucius” model.
And finally, no discerning trick or treater would want to miss a sweet halloween grill (from www.halloweencostumeworld.com).
Now, on a more serious note, let’s talk about candy. Halloween is a huge candy holiday. Americans buy 600 million pounds of candy each Halloween. That’s a lot of candy. And that’s some serious potential for tooth decay.
There are some things that parents can do to reduce the risks of decay for their trick or treaters. Here’s a few ideas:
- Limit the time that your little monsters can eat candy. I recommend 30 minutes. As far as your teeth are concerned, it’s all about the length of time that they’re exposed to the sugar in candy and not “how much” candy is eaten.
- After they’ve had their candy binge, have your ghosts and goblins chew some sugarless gum for a couple of minutes. Preferably with xylitol.
- Help your children brush their teeth. Dr. Mead’s rule…12 and under should have a parents’ help with brushing. I know you think that’s crazy, but it’s not. 18 and under should have a parent monitor how they brush and check to see how well they’re doing. Good habits developed as a kid means my drill spins less. And that’s a VERY GOOD thing.
- Use an over the counter fluoride rinse before bedtime.
- Use the Halloween candy extravaganza as a reminder to make an appointment for a dental checkup. If you need an appointment or are looking for a new dentist, we’d be happy to help! You can call the office at (989) 799-9133 or make an appointment online!
It’s tough being a dentist on Halloween. But it’s my duty to spread the word about how we can reduce the risk of cavities for our little ghosts and goblins!
Did you like this post? Do you have any questions I could answer? Feel free to email me at alan@meadfamilydental.com or call us at the office at (989) 799-9133. This Saginaw dentist is always taking new patients and we’d love to be your Saginaw dental office!
