44 West Dental Professionals Offers Tips for Enjoying Halloween Candy — While Avoiding Tooth Decay

The dental professionals at 44 West provide some tips on safely consuming Halloween treats, minimizing the risk of dental complication

Halloween is quickly approaching — and with it, the chance for kids of all ages to score big hauls of Halloween candy. These sweet treats are coveted, but they come with some well-known drawbacks. Simply put, refined sugar is bad for the body and especially bad for the teeth. According to dentists and oral health professionals, though, Halloween candy can be enjoyed responsibly — without too much risk of dental complication. 44 West Dental Professionals provides some guidelines for safe Halloween candy consumption.

“We encourage kids and families to go out and enjoy Halloween — and that means eating some candy,” 44 West says. “We are not anti-candy or anti-Halloween. We do hope, however, that parents will remind their kids to brush and floss after consuming their trick-or-treat haul.”

Things like taffies, gummies and sticky candies, on the other hand, can linger on the teeth for a long time if brushing isn't robust.

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In fact, prompt brushing is the key to minimizing dental damage. To understand why this is the case, it’s important to understand how tooth decay happens in the first place. Bacteria lives on the teeth, metabolizing refined sugars quickly and breaking them down into acids — acids that can break down the structure of the tooth itself.

“This doesn’t happen immediately,” 44 West Dental Professionals notes. “In fact, it only happens when the food source stays on the teeth for a long period of time. If you brush and floss immediately after eating candy, you get rid of the food source and thus minimize the risk of tooth decay.”

44 West also notes that some candies are easier than others to brush off the teeth. “Chocolate generally washes away easily, which means it’s one of the least offensive Halloween treats,” the dentists say. “Things like taffies, gummies and sticky candies, on the other hand, can linger on the teeth for a long time if brushing isn’t robust.” The dental practice notes that sugar-free candies are also an option.

44 West Dental Professionals also encourages parents to stay on top of routine cleanings. “If your child hasn’t seen the dentist in a while, the season following Halloween can be a good time to make an appointment,” 44 West says.

44 West Dental Professionals is located in Grandville, Michigan. Additional information can be found online at https://44westdental.com.

About 44 West Dental Professionals 

44 West Dental Professionals is a family dentistry service located in Grandville, Michigan. The practice is known for its depth of knowledge as well as its warm, friendly staff. Additional information about the practice is available at https://44westdental.com. 44 West Dental Professionals is located at:

44 West Dental Professionals 
4330 44th Street SW, Suite 105
Grandville, MI 49418

Source: 44 West Dental Professionals