It All Starts with Your Mouth: Oral Health and Your Well-Being
11 December 2024
Poppyseed and Lemon Pancakes
11 December 2024
Most children enjoy sweets, and Halloween is the perfect time to indulge that sweet tooth. However, eating too many sugary treats increases the risk of cavities and toothache. So we’ve put together some ideas for alternative tooth-friendly treats.
Sugar-Free Gum
Sugar-free gum is great for teeth because it helps promote saliva flow. A good flow of saliva helps to wash away harmful bacteria and leftover food particles. Saliva is also essential for helping the mouth to maintain a more neutral and healthier pH level. If you can, look for a brand containing xylitol, a natural sweetener that disrupts the action of harmful bacteria in the mouth, preventing them from thriving.
Choose Chocolate over Sticky Toffee
Chocolate is preferable to sticky and hard sweets because it melts easily and is washed away more quickly by saliva. In contrast, sticky toffee or hard sweets can hang around teeth for much longer.
Inedible Treats
As an alternative to traditional Halloween sweets, why not hand out inedible treats such as small toys like vampire teeth or bouncy balls. Glow sticks are great for increasing the visibility of little trick-or-treaters. When given a choice, many children will prefer a toy to sweets.
