Yamamoto and Lee – Roseville Family Dentists

Halloween Candy Anyone?

As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays- not quite as good as Christmas, but way better than Thanksgiving.  I still enjoy Halloween, but as a dentist I realize it can be hazardous to the health of our teeth.  Candy sales approach $2 billion every Halloween.  And as we’ve mentioned numerous times in this blog, sugar (NOT the lack of brushing and flossing) is the main culprit in causing tooth decay (aka- cavities).

So what can YOU do this year (other than encouraging your kid to dress up as a dentist…lol) to make Halloween a bit safer for teeth?

First, resist the urge to buy your Halloween candy supply early.  I firmly believe that any candy bought more than three days before Trick or Treat night often ends up rotting your family’s teeth before the big night.  (Do I lie?)

Second, consider handing out non-decay causing goodies instead of candy.  About.com and NationalServiceResources.org have lists of some good alternatives.  These include:

• Glow-sticks
• Sugar free gum
• Halloween stickers
• Small cans of playdoh
• Pencils with Halloween erasers
• Halloween bouncy balls
• Temporary tattoos
• Small bottles of bubbles
• Temporary tattoos
• Crayons
• Coins (pennies, nickels, dimes)
• Superballs
• “Slime”
• Sugar-free candy
• Origami paper & instructions
• Bubbles

Third, make sure your little ones only dip into their candy booty at meal times (when they’re likely feeding the sugar bugs anyway) and maybe one other time during the day (if they’ve been good, of course).  Remember, it’s not necessarily “how much” sugar we get, but rather “how often” that determines how many cavities we get.

So have fun this Halloween!  But try not to make your teeth “scream”.  Otherwise, you may end up looking like Jack up above.

Dr. Steve

Roseville Family Dentist

Happy Halloween, Unhappy Teeth!

Halloween is coming, and teeth are afraid!  But, it’s not too hard to enjoy all the fun without too much harm to our fangs.  Remember that tooth decay is one of the two most common diseases in the world.  And remember, too, that sugar (NOT poor brushing/flossing habits) is the culprit.  (See this post for more details.) What’s most important to keep in mind is that every time you get sugar in your mouth, the sugar bugs produce acid for 30-60 minutes, which eats away the hard tooth material and causes decay.  So you want to minimize the number of times you “feed the sugar bugs”.  The best way to do this is by feeding them at meal times, when you’re likely feeding them anyway.  And avoid sugar between meals.  Take control of your kids trick-or-treat booty and let them have some at meals  times, but not between meals.  Maybe if they’ve been especially good, they can raid it one other time during the day.  Just don’t let them pick at it all day long.  Otherwise, they may end up looking like our friend Jack above!

Dr. Steve

Brush your teeth to curb your appetite…

Just got a newsletter in the mail talking about how to slim your waist.   In it, they give some tips on how to curb your appetite between meals.  First, they recommend biting into a pickle or a lemon.  ”Neither has any calories to speak of, and the sour taste may curb your appetite.”

Then they go on to suggest brushing your teeth.  I think this would work.  I know I don’t like to eat anything right after brushing.  Try it and let me know if it works!

Dr. Steve