Halloween is such a fun and creative time of year. When else can kids and even grownups dress up and run around in costumes and you get to make up your house all spooky? And I LOVE candy!
So while you are carving pumpkins, decorating your house or making costumes for the kids, I wanted to take a minute to give you some tips on how to keep Halloween fun and keep all those precious teeth out there safe.
No matter what we do, we all carry some amount of bacteria in our mouths. The reason candy promotes tooth decay is because the bacteria love to feed on the sugar which then produces acid in your mouth that dissolves and damages your tooth enamel.
Something like this:
So the sooner you brush and floss the better. But what if you can’t brush and floss during the day?
- The most important times are at night before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning. This is because at night your mouth becomes an incubator for bacterial growth. The cleaner you leave it at night the less chance of lots of bacteria growing. And brushing first thing in the morning will help get rid of those bacteria that grew overnight and start you out with a nice clean and fresh mouth.
- Flossing is vital to remove any candy that’s hiding between your teeth and that get imbedded in your gums.
So have fun with your parties and trick-or-treating and don’t forget to brush and floss!
And don’t forget to schedule your regular checkups and use your insurance to its fullest before the end of the year. Give us a call at (916) 780-3900 and schedule now.
Dr. Ruth Kenworthy, DDS
