October is finally here and we could not be more excited to bring in the autumn season. Although the fall brings a lot of beautiful things such as leaves changing color and football, it also means Halloween is almost here. At Dental Associates of Delaware it is our top priority to make sure that our patients maintain the best oral hygiene possible for the optimal healthy Delaware smiles. In preparation for this upcoming Halloween we want to provide our patient’s with some tips to avoid ending up with a bunch of cavities!
Plenty of Brushing & Flossing
As you know, brushing and flossing is a crucial part of maintaining a great oral hygiene regiment. It is especially important when eating sweets in order to avoid things such as cavities and tooth decay. It is important to educate your child and make them aware that although the occasional treat is fine, it is important that it is followed up by brushing and flossing. We would encourage you to have this conversation with your child before they go out trick-or-treating so that they are aware of your expectations. You can always make this more fun by getting them a new Halloween themed toothbrush!
Make A Candy Plan
This one may seem silly but it works! Once you child comes home from trick-or-treating take control of their loot and only allow a certain amount of candy at a time. A nice way to do this would be to have a conversation with them letting them know that they can have one piece of candy for dessert and then it is straight to brushing and flossing immediately after. If you want to do something even more creative, you can even try and convince them to get rid of some candy as a trade. For example if they trade in five pieces of candy to you, they might not have to do a chore for that week! If you decide to do the trade in process you could even donate whatever candy they may not eat. This way not only are they doing great things for their oral hygiene but for others as well!
Limit Trick – Or – Treating Time
If your child isn’t willing to trade in any of their candy in order to get out of doing the household chores this is the next best option. By limiting or shortening the amount of time they can trick-or-treat you will also be limiting the amount of candy that they can collect. Be sure to still implement a brushing and flossing regiment even if they have less candy, our goal is to reduce the risk of cavities and tooth decay!
Contact Our Office in Brandywine, Hockessin, Middletown, Wilmington, Millsboro, or Ocean View, DE For More Info!
We hope that these tips have helped you come up with a game plan for avoiding cavities this Halloween. If you have any further questions about how to maintain great oral healthy or anything else please don’t hesitate to contact us. We proudly have locations in Brandywine, Hockessin, Middletown, Wilmington, Millsboro, or Ocean View, DE for your convenience. We look forward to hearing from you!