Healthy Halloween Candy Consumption
Halloween is one of the most exciting nights of the year for many children – all the candy they want with no limits! However, there are limits when it comes to the health of your teeth. These 8 tips and tricks will help keep you and your children happy on Halloween because they can still enjoy those sugary sweets while helping to maintain their oral health.
1. Arginine Protection
BasicBites is an arginine candy chew that can be eaten before and after candy consumption to prevent those sugary products from getting stuck in the grooves of your teeth. Instead, BasicBites will stick to your teeth and provide a protective layer with its formula made from pH-neutralizing arginine. Tom’s of Maine toothpaste has a similar effect when it is applied to the teeth and left on without rinsing. At this time this is the only over-the-counter toothpaste that contains arginine.
2. Arginine-Rich Foods
Chewing arginine-rich foods in between bites of candy can help to neutralize the pH levels in your saliva and the biofilm sticking to your teeth. Some of these foods that you can easily snack on while trick-or-treating are pumpkin seeds, peanuts, chickpeas, and cheese. Spirulina also has lots of arginine and other healthy nutrients and is often added to smoothies.
3. Xylitol Candies
Xylitol helps to break down harmful bacteria in the mouth, neutralize pH levels, and re-mineralize the enamel on your teeth – a protective layer that strengthens your teeth. Carrie Ibbetson’s pH control products guide has many options for delicious candies that are actually good for your teeth!
4. Avoid Extra Ingredients
When it comes to finding healthy foods, the fewer ingredients there are, the better. Candies with sorbitol or citric acid can be especially harmful because they demineralize and weaken the enamel on your teeth chew by chew (I know, it’s super frustrating, right?!). Fruit-flavored candies often have these added ingredients so be sure to check every candy you plan on eating. At the end of the day, you are the one choosing products, so you can totally choose wisely! This piece of the oral health puzzle is completely in your control, and although it may take time to make the right choices, the benefits are multiplied in your favor. To make it easy for you we have a pH control products guide that you will learn more about below.
5. Xylitol Gum
Xylitol gum only needs to be chewed for 5 minutes to achieve beneficial results. 5 minutes is the flavor life of this teeth-healthy gum and once it runs out of flavor, the xylitol has done its job. This gum will get into the grooves of your teeth and neutralize the pH of the biofilm and saliva in your mouth.
6. pH-Controlling Gel
Safe to swallow pH-controlling gel can be applied to the teeth and tongue to stimulate saliva production and give your mouth a protective layer against harmful bacteria. Healthy saliva production stabilizes the pH levels of your mouth and stimulating this production is important on Halloween since children are easily dehydrated from constantly opening their mouths to talk or eat candy.
7. pH Control Products Guide
Carrie Ibbetson’s free pH Control Products Guide has even more tips for healthy teeth and will link you to her Amazon page where there are many options for xylitol candy and other teeth-friendly products. You can learn more about some of her favorite toothbrushes, toothpastes, flosses, rinses, and maintain a healthy, beautiful smile.
8. Thorough Brushing
After a night of sugary snacking, it is important you brush your teeth thoroughly. Make sure the bristles get into the grooves and pits of your teeth where harmful bacteria is easily trapped. A few toothbrushes that will help you get into those difficult-to-reach areas are Burst Electric, TePe Supreme, and TePe Compact.
Learn More About Different Types of Candies
To learn more about some of the best and worst Halloween candies, check out this blog post.
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