Every year, around this time, our homes are flooded with candy and sweet treats. If you’re one of the many people who find that you’re snacking on candy more frequently lately, then this article is for you. Our Glendale dentists are here with some tips on how you can care for your smile this Halloween season.
The first thing to do is to make sure that you’re following your dentist’s instructions when it comes to both at-home and professional dental care. Oral hygiene care is designed to clear away harmful plaque on your smile, and to help your dental enamel re-mineralize and stay strong.
Beyond this, it’s obviously a good idea to limit the amount of candy that you consume. Consider donating some of your Halloween treats to organizations that collect treats for troops stationed overseas in order to get the candy out of your house.
When you do indulge in candy, you want to do so in short period of time, rather than eating candy continuously throughout the day. This is because harmful oral bacteria in your mouth stay active, and feeding on the sugars in your mouth, for about 20 to 30 minutes after you finish eating. As you can see, if you eat candy over a long period of time, this gives the bacteria in your mouth ample time to damage your smile.
It may be helpful for you to get into the habit of drinking water or rinsing your smile with water after you eat candy. This simple action helps to rinse away bacteria/sugar, and to stimulate saliva production. Saliva is your body’s natural way of re-mineralizing enamel and neutralizing bacteria.
Now is the time to make a plan on how to care for your smile this Halloween. As always, our Glendale dentists are here to answer any questions that you may have, and to provide you with the high-quality dental care you need to stay well.