Don’t Play Tricks on Your Teeth this Halloween

Halloween is all about spooks and scares, candy and crazy costumes, and ghosts and giggles. It can be a fun, festive, fright night for the whole family, but your dentist may not feel the same way. Halloween has earned its spot on your dentist’s worst nightmare list.

This Halloween, the American Dental Association and the team at Wager Evans Dental want to remind you to take care of your teeth and yourself (and your kiddos) while you celebrate.

Sweets and Treats

Candy is one of the best parts of Halloween, but it’s also the number one reason why your dentist may not be celebrating with you. Sugar is the archenemy of your teeth, and too much of it can cause cavities and tooth decay, which is the most widespread childhood disease. To protect your teeth on this spooky holiday (and every other day of the year), consider the following:

• Eat sweets with meals rather than as snacks. Saliva production increases during a meal, which helps to rinse food particles from the mouth and neutralize plaque acid.
• Avoid sticky candies for a few reasons. First, they adhere to your teeth, keeping them in your mouth for longer. The longer your teeth are exposed to sugar, the more time the bacteria has to create acid that weakens tooth enamel, encouraging the growth of cavities. Secondly, sticky candies, such as caramels, taffy, and gummies, have the potential to damage dental work, including fillings, dental crowns, and bridges.
• Neutralize sugar by eating foods like cheese, peanuts, and fruit. Also, chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals has been shown to reduce tooth decay because it increases saliva flow.

Something to Sink Your Teeth Into

Vampires are all the rage in Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean that you have to jump on board the fang bandwagon. The popularity of vampires in television shows, movies, and books has led some people to actually file their teeth to points to make them resemble vampire fangs. We advise you to refrain from altering your teeth because of a fad. In the process of filing down the eye teeth (which is very painful), you are damaging your tooth enamel and natural tooth structure and weakening the teeth all together. With such a pointy tip, the tooth becomes very vulnerable to cracking, chipping, and breaking.

If you’d like to have a spooky smile for Halloween, consider using costume mouthguards and prosthetic pieces. Just remember to use a rubber mouthpiece of to avoid causing damage to your real teeth. If the mouthpiece feels uncomfortable, doesn’t fit properly, or causes any sores or bleeding, remove it immediately and rinse your mouth to avoid infection.

If you’ve already indulged in a little too much Halloween candy, call Wager Evans Dental, located in Reno, Nevada, at (775) 800-4845 to reserve an appointment with Dr. Brian Evans or Dr. William Wager.