Your Halloween Nightmare: Candy!
Halloween is rolling right around the corner! Whether you go trick-or-treating, or simply stocking up on discount candy at your grocery store, the least of your worries should be a ghost lurking around. If anything, your worst nightmare is sitting right in front of you: THE CANDIES!
Why should I be more frightened about candy than ghouls?
It’s no secret that candy can rot your teeth. The sticky sweet sugar, if not removed properly, can stick to your teeth and serve as a feeding ground for those fiendish sugar bugs called cavities. The bacteria in your mouth thrive off the sugar, and as a result can hide in between the crevices of your teeth and gums. Eventually, the bacteria will start to eat away at the protective layer of your teeth called the enamel, and eventually cause cavities and potential tooth loss. Additionally, the bacteria can build up around your gum line and ultimately lead to periodontal disease. Talk about a fright!
What should I do to prevent cavities from eating too much candy?
1. Floss and brush your teeth daily!
We can not stress enough the importance of flossing daily and brushing your teeth twice a day. Especially at night! At night, if we don’t floss or brush, we allow the sugars from the candy to stick to our teeth. This results in the bacteria thrive off these nutrients and ultimately rot your teeth. Flossing and brushing prevents the bacteria from growing in your mouth in the first place and therefore saving your pretty teeth!
2. Consume something basic or alkaline in pH
Milk is a great example of something basic to consume. The reason being is that candies contain sugars and citric acid. This is acidic in pH and can wear away the protective enamel of your teeth! Therefore, if you do happen to eat a lot of candy, it helps to drink some milk after in order to neutralize the acidic effects of the candy. This is not a cure-all, but it sure does help out
3. Be consistent about your visits to the dentist!
It’s easy to overlook your oral health, but don’t forget that your teeth are connected to the rest of your body and should be taken seriously! Being consistent about your visits to the dentist helps detect early signs of periodontal disease and prevent those cavities from rotting your teeth!
Please visit our website to schedule an appointment with Ridge Commons Family Dentistry today at www.rcfdentistry.com so that we can help scare those cavities away!
