Tips for a healthy Halloween

It’s October, and you know what that means – it’s time for Halloween!

Halloween is a fun and exciting time for both kids and adults. People dress up in costumes, paint or carve pumpkins, host parties, and more. And Halloween is incomplete without “trick or treat”. Yay, tons of sugar!

While it might be spooky to think about all the candies your children will eat on Halloween, this should not hinder them from enjoying it. Below are a few tips that will allow your children to have fun without significantly affecting their dental health.

1. Eat a good meal or dinner before going trick-or-treating.

It’s best to feed your children a well-balanced meal before going to a Halloween party or before trick-or-treating.

The goal of having a meal beforehand is to make sure that your children feel full. This will also prevent them from having growling tummies; thus, they won’t feel the need to indulge in too many candies or overeat treats.

2. Keep it balanced.

Halloween candies are irreplaceable, and this part of the tradition isn’t going anywhere. Yet, you can keep it balanced by portioning candies with healthy candy alternatives such as animal crackers, fruits, granola bars, juice pouches, nutrition bars, packs of nuts, popcorn, raisins, and sugarless gum packs.

Keep in mind that children should not have any hard candies, sour candies, or sticky candies. These candies increase the risk of tooth decay, especially when they stay in the mouth for a long time. Also, hard candies can break your children’s teeth if they’re not careful.

On the other hand, sour candies, being very acidic, can weaken the hard outer shell of your children’s teeth, making their teeth more prone to cavities. And sticky candies, as their name suggests, are simply the worst candies for your children’s teeth. They are harder to remove and may stay on the teeth longer.

3. Cut back on sweets and make your own healthy treats.

Keep your children’s spooky spirits up by making Halloween treats without all the sugar. From pumpkin mummy cookies to monster wraps, there are healthier Halloween-themed snacks and treats that your children can enjoy.

Dentistry for Children in Calgary, AB

Keep your children’s teeth healthy not only during Halloween but all year round, and let the dentists at Springbank Dental Centre help you. We’ll let you know how to prepare for your children’s first dental visit, how often they should have a dental checkup, what’s the best toothpaste for your children, and more. Contact us today for more details.