 HEALTHY FANGS FOR HALLOWEEN 
WOW! Check out that stuffed sack of snacks that your child just dragged through your front door! What can you, as parents, do to help your child avoid cavities during this happy holiday season?
It is useless to try to deny your child all access to sweets. If you attempt this, when they finally do get their hands on some, they'll surely go overboard. Limited access, however, will allow them to enjoy their sweet treats and still have a healthy set of teeth.
Consider these options:
1) Once a day "just say yes" to candy in unlimited quantities. After dinner, when their salivary flow is high, allow them ALL the candy that they can stuff in their mouths for a limited amount of time (oh, 15 minutes or so) then off to the bathroom for a thorough floss, brush and rinse cycle.
2) Make sure that their teeth are very clean PRIOR to snacking - if plaque has been recently and thoroughly removed from their teeth, acid levels will remain. within reasonable levels. Though plaque bacteria reform quickly, it takes time for them to reach their full destructive potential.
3) Allow between meal snacks only with dentally healthier choices from their goodie bags, (i.e. sugarless candies, chocolate and chocolate with nuts, chewing gum). Save the sticky and longer lasting candies for the #1 option on this list of recommendations.
Don't contribute to the local rate of decay! At your home, hand out small toys, chewing gum, chocolate and chocolate with nuts. Try to avoid chewy candies (caramels, nougats, gummy ANYTHING!) as well as long lasting candies (lollipops, sourballs, Lifesavers). In addition, tart candies will contain acid AND sugar, a combination very detrimental to dental health.
    HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
From Parker Dental Care
Dr. Theresa Albin-Davis has a family oriented
practice devoted to preventing dental disease and maintaining
your family's oral health through education and gentle,
comprehensive, quality dental care. In addition to teaching part-time
at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry, she contributes
a significant amount of time to the Headstart Program.
You can schedule
an appointment by calling 720-851-1676
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