Halloween does not have to be a horror for kids' teeth

Sweets are as much a part of Halloween as haunted houses, creative costumes and mashed monsters. They are fun to collect, but having this big bag of candy at home several weeks after Halloween may not be good for the children's oral health.

We spoke with Kavita Mathu-Muju, Associate Professor and Pediatric Dentist at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Dentistry, about the fears that feast and how you can help your children get better. keep their chopers relatively spared.

In the grand scheme of things, how dangerous is Halloween for the teeth of children?

Like most things in life, the key to enjoying Halloween is moderation. So, if parents agree that their kids spend a week abusing candy, it's worth keeping in mind a few simple points that can actually minimize the potential of Halloween treats causing cavities.

What are these?

The bacteria in our mouth break down the sugar in the Halloween candy to produce acid. The longer the teeth are exposed to acid, the more the dental polish is likely to degrade and that is what causes cavities. There are three key points to remember:

First of all, consistency. The more sticky the candies, the worse the teeth.

Second, the duration of exposure to sweet candies. The longer a child keeps sweets or sweets in the mouth, the longer the sugar exposure is and the worse it will be for the teeth. For example, think of sucking a lollipop for half an hour. It's very long to expose the oral bacteria to sugar. Compare that to eating a little chocolate, which disappears right away in the stomach.

Finally, keep in mind the frequency with which your child eats sweets. Eating a single lollipop is not likely to cause irreparable harm. But having several lollipops a day will certainly increase the risk of developing cavities.

From the point of view of oral health, is it better to quickly finish the candies or try to stretch them until Christmas?

It is definitely better to finish the candy quickly. For example, if someone has a package of lifebuoys, is it better to eat one life buoy per hour, every hour, until the package is finished, or is it better to eat the whole package at the same time? In fact, it is best to finish all the packaging at the same time as this minimizes the exposure of the mouth bacteria to sugar.

Do you have any special tips for oral hygiene to share for the season?

After the Halloween night, leftover candies should only be eaten after dinner, as saliva produced during a meal can help eliminate sugary residues. In addition, bedtime comes after dinner, so a child will brush their teeth and this will help minimize the risk of developing cavities. I also recommend avoiding snacking leftover candies during the day. Do not put it in your child's lunch box as a snack during recess.

What does it mean to be a dentist who cares for children the first week of November?

In fact, it's fun, because kids come in and they like to share their Halloween experiences and tell us about their costumes. What we usually hear are stories of parents eating their sweets. So I am not always sure that it is the children who should worry us after Halloween.

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