How to Protect Your Teeth This Halloween

Prevention

In the days leading up to Halloween, make sure you’re taking extra good care of your teeth, whether you’re planning on eating a bunch of sweet treats or not (but these tips are useful any time of the year!).

1. Know how at-risk you are for cavities. While everyone should be careful what they eat, some are genetically predisposed to cavities, or may be more susceptible to them due to past eating/dental hygiene habits. Determining your risk with a dentist can also help you know how many visits you need in the future.
2. Brushing your teeth three times a day. Though we often say to brush our teeth in the morning and at night, brushing your teeth after lunch can provide extra protection, because it keeps bacteria from lingering on your teeth for the entire day.
3. Make sure you’re using proper brushing techniques. Toothbrushing is something we do every day, so it seems straightforward, but there are actually ways to make it more efficient and effective. For example, you can try brushing your teeth at a 45 degree angle against your gums, brushing your tongue to remove excess bacteria, and replacing your toothbrush at least every 3-4 months.
4. Drink more water. In the United States, about 63% of Americans have access to fluoridated water. In neighborhoods where the tap water is safe to drink, it’s good to make sure you incorporate it into your water consumption instead of just drinking bottled water. Drinking more water, of course, has the added benefit of keeping you hydrated, and therefore your brain function and energy levels up!
5. Limit between meals and snacks. This gives your teeth time to repair themselves from the acid in your food. When your teeth are exposed to too much acid, a process known as demineralization starts to happen, during which minerals like calcium and phosphate are stripped from your enamel.

Candies: Dos and Don’ts

Types of Candies That Are Especially Damaging for Your Teeth

• • Sour Candy. Candies like Sour Patch Kids, Airheads X-tremes, and Sour Skittles are all coated with citric acid. Anything high in acid wears away enamel, leaving teeth more vulnerable to tooth decay and cavities.
  • Milk Chocolate. Milk chocolate candies like Milky Ways, Snickers, and Twix are all coated with milk chocolate in addition to being filled with caramel and/or nougat.

• Chewy Candy. Candies such as caramels, taffy, gummies and more can stay in our mouths for long periods of time after getting lodged in grooves and crevices. This makes it easier for cavities to form. They’ve even been known to break braces!

Types of Candies to Consume Instead

Although no candy is really “tooth-safe,” we understand that it’s a lot to ask to only give out fruit and veggies to trick-or-treaters. Your best bet is to turn to dark chocolate or candies with artificial sweeteners. Dark chocolate both has less added sugars than its “milk” and “white” counterparts, and even has antioxidants that can reduce inflammation. In terms of artificial sweetener, you may be surprised to learn that your favorite candy has a sugar-free version! Werthers, York, Jolly Ranchers, and Hershey’s, for example, have all come out with sugar-free options.

Why is Candy Content so Important to Know?

As we’ve discussed, bad dietary habits can lead to tooth decay or cavities, but it can also severely impact your gums. Here are a few types of gum diseases that are often the causes of gum sensitivity:

1. Gingivitis. The inflammation of the gums. Eating candy too often can lead to a build up of bacteria on your teeth that is too difficult to brush away.
2. Periodontitis. This refers to gum disease, or the more advanced version of gingivitis. It’s one of the major causes of tooth loss in adults, so it’s important to catch it at the gingivitis stage. Antibacterial mouth wash can be an additional way to prevent it.
3. Oral infections. This sounds serious, but an oral infection can be as small as a canker sore. They often go away on their own, but can be treated by a saltwater rinse if not.

Costume-Related Risks

When people think of tooth health and Halloween, they usually think about how the sugar from all the candy affects teeth. While that is a real concern, it’s also important to note the other ways teeth can suffer damage on the holiday. Some key examples have to do with costume choices.

Fake Vampire Teeth & Glow in the Dark Mouthpieces

Many pairs of fake vampire teeth are made from hard plastic that can scratch your enamel. Additionally, store bought ones might not provide safe adhesive, leading many kids to try using superglue or craft glue. Instead, try using soft plastic or latex fangs, use dental wax as an adhesive, and remove the fangs every couple of hours so that your teeth can have a break.

Like vampire teeth, glow-in-the-dark tooth accessories are very popular. Not all chemicals are mouth safe, and can be rough enough to damage enamel as well. It’s important to check what something is made of before putting it on your teeth! You should also avoid putting these accessories on teeth you’d bite down on, like molars. You can even paint your face instead.

Mouth Paints/Tooth Blackout

Some costumes incorporate mouth paint and dyes for an extra-realistic look. Low quality paints can stain your teeth, irritate your gums, and contain artificial dyes, leaving your teeth colorful for days, or even weeks! You can avoid this by choosing FDA approved products and testing for allergies beforehand to limit the risk of any large-scale reaction.

For costumes that require a missing tooth, you may want to use a wax substance. This is safe, and can be peeled off at the end of the night. However, it’s important to note (primarily for adults), that any wax substance should not be used on veneers, because it’s very difficult to remove.

Accessories

Many costumes involve pieces that touch or go near mouths. Characters can require anything from wooden pipes, pens, toothpicks, twigs, etc. But holding objects in your mouth for an extended period of time is not good for your teeth. It can cause jaw pain or even tooth breakage, especially if you hit it against something. So if you’re planning on dressing as Dr. Chase from House MD, Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or an old-timey detective, think twice before biting down.

Avoiding Injury-Prone Costumes

In addition to objects you put on yourself as a part of your costume, you may have other aspects of your look that can cause injury. For example, costumes that require activities you’re not super familiar with, like skateboarding or rollerblading can lead to injury. In recent years, Hoverboards have become frequently used to mimic the look of something floating. But it’s easier than you’d think for something (the sheet of a sheet ghost, for example) to get stuck under them. This could send you tumbling to the ground, chipping or knocking out your front teeth.

How to Supplement Your Dental Health

Good dental hygiene starts with what you expose both your teeth and your stomach to. These foods aren’t just harmless alternatives—they can actually help to strengthen your teeth!

1. Fibrous fruits and vegetables. Hard fruits like apples, celery, and carrots can manually clean plaque from your teeth, while foods rich in vitamin C like oranges, mint, and cucumbers fight infection and prevent gum disease.
2. Diary products. Not only does dairy increase saliva output, but they have lots of minerals that can help rebuild enamel.
3. Foods with fluoride. Like our water, our food has fluoride too. Black tea, seafood, and oatmeal are good places to start.

Additionally, you can make sure that if you do eat sweet treats and beverages on Halloween, you make sure to subdue the damage afterwards. For example, if you rinse your mouth immediately afterward, you get rid of any sugar residue that might be sitting on top of your teeth. You can also wait to brush and floss your teeth. If you do so too soon, you can extend the damage. It’s the same as with waiting between eating—you want to give your saliva time to defend against the acid. Finally, make sure to be extra careful when brushing and flossing your molars and gums! These are areas where food can stick easily, especially when it’s already sticky and full of sugar.

And, of course, be sure to check in with your dentist regularly. There should be no reason for you not to enjoy Halloween, so if any frightening symptoms emerge, be sure to make an appointment with your dentist. If you live in the Pittsburgh area, we recommend you check out Dr. Wakim for the highest quality dental care.