Trick or Treat, Give me something good to eat, but don’t forget to brush your teeth!

Trick or treat,

Give me something good to eat,

….but don’t forget to brush your teeth!

This year, as we celebrate a socially responsible All Hallows Eve (or Halloween as we like to call it), consumers in the United States will spend over $2 billion on candy alone with a large portion of it being consumed by our children. Kids can consume up to three cups of sugar from the candy they collected while trick-or-treating alone. Just as the night will see the rise of ghost, goblins and a host of other characters in masked revelry, so too will we see a rise in sugar bugs that reside in our kid’s teeth! These sugar bugs, otherwise known as cavities or caries, are formed when the bacteria in your mouth breakdown fermentable carbohydrates, producing acid which then breaks down the tooth surface. In children under the age of 6 this is referred to as early childhood caries (ECC) formerly ‘baby bottle decay’. Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease and if left untreated can lead to pain, infection and in extreme cases, death. It is also completely preventable.

When a child’s teeth are affected by caries it can lead to deficiencies in growth and development, quality of life and is predictive of caries in permanent (adult) dentition. If treatment is delayed, the cavity worsens and becomes more difficult to treat. This can then make the overall cost of treatment increase, and access to appropriate care can become an issue. In severe cases, children can have pain and discomfort due to acute and chronic infections. This may lead to hospitalization, altered eating habits, and an increase in loss of school days.

So how can we prevent this? Establishing healthy dietary practices, regular visits with a dentist, increasing oral health literacy and improving oral hygiene are all important steps to take to ensure good oral health. It is important to set limits on how much candy children and adolescents eat, as well as making sure they brush and floss their teeth to prevent cavities. Sugars in the diet should be limited to less than 10 calories per day. Additional dietary guidelines may be recommended depending on a child’s risk of developing cavities. All children should have an established dental home and should visit the dentist twice a year. Children should start brushing with fluoridated toothpaste two-times a day as soon as teeth emerge (only a smear the size of a rice grain (2 and under); and a pea-sized amount for 3-6 year olds). Parents should assist with brushing until their child is capable of tying their own shoe laces and continue to supervise the child’s brushing on a daily basis. Children who have special health care needs can have these practices adapted to ensure their individual needs are being met. In addition, your dental professional should be able to assist you with identifying adaptive adjunctive tools that can facilitate good home care. Drinking fluoridated water is also important in helping to strengthen teeth to fight cavities. Lastly, don’t forget to floss! Flossing is the only way to clean the surfaces that are touching each other.

Follow these steps to ensure a healthy, happy mouth with teeth that will last a lifetime, and have a Happy Halloween! Franciscan Children’s, so every kid can…smile!

Written by Dr. Siobhian Sprott, Director of Dental Services