Halloween

Halloween will be here later this week. It's a time which brings a lot of excitement for our children. Although costumes can range from funny to unique and creepy. We all want this to be a safe holiday for our little ones.

What should you do after the big haul?
The first thing to do is check the candy and make certain it hasn't been tampered with. If the seal has been broken on the candy, throw it away.

I want to assure everyone that one,two or three days of eating candy will not create a cavity. The sugar in the candy is food for the bacteria in our mouths, as we eat more sweets, the bacteria thrive and they will excrete acid. The acids will break down the enamel causing cavities. This has to happen over a long period of time. Months, not days.

I've been asked is it better to eat all the candy at once or over many days. Let me put it this way, if you eat the candy all at once, the bacteria eat it one time and your body has to tolerate one exposure to their acids. However, if you do this, you will most likely have to pull your child off the ceiling with all that sugar in their system. It's better to give them one or two candies a day.

In my family, we allowed our children to "get into" their Halloween candy for 2-3 days. Then we would hide it, and take it out a couple of time a month for a treat. Of course I was the official "taster" to make certain the candy didn't go bad.

Sensitivity to sweets can be a sign at you have a deep cavity into the nerve of the tooth, a crack in your tooth, or a leaky filling. If you have sensitivity to sweets that lasts longer than a day or two. Call your dentist. The earlier something is taken care of the less expensive it will be.

Go have a safe Halloween

Dr. G