Want to protect your teeth against cavities this Halloween? Here's how
Michelle ShenLove eating Halloween candy?
You're not alone.
About 4% of all candy consumed in the United States occurs on that one day, according to Harry Balzer, the chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, which does market research on eating trends.
Almost every child and about half of the adults in the USA will have candy on Halloween, he said. That compares to 24% of all adults and kids who have candy on a typical day.
But that doesn't mean it has to be a nightmare-inducing holiday for dentists.
For anyone with a massive sweet tooth, here are some tips from Dr. Joel Berg, DDS, the former president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and Chief Dental Officer at Willo, a company that makes tooth brushing robots for kids, on how to protect your teeth while munching on sweets.
1. Chocolate is better than gummies.
If you want to eat the candy that’s the least damaging to your teeth, choose chocolate and skip the gummies, Dr. Berg told USA TODAY.
Why? "Chocolate," Berg said, "can melt and won’t stick into the surfaces and grooves of teeth."
►Halloween candy consumption: Scary amount of candy will be consumed on Halloween
2. Eating candy all at once is better for your teeth.
If you are going to eat candy, it’s better for your teeth if you eat all the candy in one sitting, rather than snacking throughout the day.
Here's why: According to Dr. Berg, when you eat sugar your body turns it into an acid, which dissolves the enamel. Our saliva naturally counteracts this acid. By eating it all at once you give your saliva time to remove the bacteria, but when you eat it throughout the day your saliva is constantly resetting and doesn’t have a chance to rebalance its pH.
►How much Halloween candy should you eat? Doctor tells kids to 'eat whatever they want'
3. Make sure to brush these spots.
Brushing and flossing isn't enough. A lot of times when people brush their teeth, they miss spots where candy can get stuck. According to Dr. Berg, the top five places where people are worst at brushing are:
- The inside of the mouth in general
- The molars (back)
- Between the teeth
- Near and under the gums
- The inside of the front teeth on the bottom
With these tips in mind, hopefully you can enjoy a sweet Halloween - without a large dental bill to follow.
You can reach the author @michelle_shen10 on Twitter.