Smile! It’s Spooky Season
Find out about caring for your teeth over Halloween, including some fun healthy snack ideas approved by your St John’s Wood dentist!
Here at Abbey Road Dental we are ghoulishly excited for spooky season! Pumpkin carving, spooky mazes, fancy dress – what’s not to love! Well.. for your teeth, this time of the year is a bit of a challenge.
From pastry filled buffets to chocolates galore, your teeth can really go through it between Halloween and Christmas. With too much indulgence, plaque and gum inflammation can creep up, and by the time New Year comes you may be seeing all kinds of oral problems, even if you don’t get symptoms of decay or gum disease before that point.
The good news is that a few simple actions on your part can ensure you still enjoy the spooky season and beyond whilst protecting your smile at the same time! Let’s take a closer look:
The Dangers Of Halloween When It Comes To Your Teeth
Halloween is a lot of fun, but for your teeth, it can be a little bit of a problematic season. Primarily, the large amount of sugar consumed can cause the bacteria that live in the mouth to produce an acid that attacks the teeth. Those attacks can progress and cause decay and cavities, which, if caught in time, can be treated by Abbey Road Dental with fillings. The problem is that by the time a filling is done, the tooth is already damaged and weakened underneath, so although the filling restores the tooth, it’s still not ideal to have the natural tooth damaged. Additionally, cavities and decay open the tooth up for infections. Infections of the tooth pulp are very painful, and they can lead to more serious infections throughout the body. Our St John’s Wood dentists are able to perform root canal to save the tooth, but it isn’t always possible and teeth can be lost through infection.
Unfortunately, your gums aren’t looking forward to Halloween much either. The acid produced by the bacteria in the mouth irritates the gums, especially when the plaque buildup is around and under the gum line. This can lead to gum disease, which can compromise the foundations of your teeth and may eventually lead to tooth loss. Our NW8 hygienist can help with the prevention and reversal of early gum disease, but no dental treatment can reverse the impact of lots and lots of sweetie and chocolate consumption on the natural teeth.
As well as all the sugary sweets, there are even more dangers for the teeth during the spooky season that you may not have thought of. One is drinking (soft drinks and alcoholic drinks) and buffet food. Acidic, alcoholic, sweet drinks and starchy food can give the teeth a prolonged acid attack. Then there is the chance of falling out of your oral hygiene routine because of lots of late nights and parties, and the chance of dental accidents chomping toffee apples and playing Halloween games. PHEW! It’s starting to become really clear why our smiles can struggle during this exciting part of the year, isn’t it?
It’s OK, though, if you stick to a few simple rules you’ll come out with a healthy and happy smile, not a scary one:
Rule One – Stay In A Routine
Stick to your oral health regime everyday, brushing for two minutes morning and evening, and flossing once a day too. Even if you’ve been out late at a Halloween party, or you’ve got children buzzing around excited to Trick and Treat, stick to your daily routine and protect your teeth and gums.
Rule Two – Chase Treats With Water
Your saliva is there to start the process of digestion and to wash away debris from the mouth. Staying hydrated helps to boost the saliva production anyway, but chasing treats with water helps to boost this by rinsing away sugar and sticky parts of chocolate and sweets to minimise their impact on the teeth.
Rule Three – Avoid Toffees
Any sweets and chocolates with toffee or chewy elements will prolong how long the teeth are exposed to sugar and acid, so if you can avoid them, you’ll help minimise any damage to the teeth. It also helps to avoid sweets you suck for a long time, as they also prolong dental exposure to sugar and acid.
Rule Four – Keep Up With Appointments
It is important to continue to visit your Abbey Road dentist and hygienist regularly so any issues you do have are picked up quickly. If you have any symptoms like dental pain, new tooth sensitivity, bleeding gums after brushing or anything else bothering you, don’t hesitate to get in touch so we can ensure a quick diagnosis.
Rule Five – Eat Treats With Dinner
Children and adults can benefit from eating Halloween treats with dinner. This helps because the teeth are only exposed to food and drink during that time, so the window of impact is minimised (as opposed to eating treats throughout the day).
Rule Six – Be Mindful
Whether you rethink that dentally dangerous Halloween game, you choose to have water every other alcoholic drink at a party, or you choose the hummus and crudites at the buffet instead of the breadsticks – your smile will be better for it. Being mindful doesn’t mean dampening your Halloween fun, it just means being mindful and a little bit careful so your smile continues uncompromised long after this exciting season.
Are You Ready To Smile Your Way Through Halloween Season?
Halloween season is really fun, and boy do we all need a little bit of fun right now. The fun doesn’t have to stop because you care for your oral health, it just helps to be mindful so that you don’t end up with infections, decay and other issues to deal with as the nights draw in. For extra support and advice, please give Abbey Road Dental in NW8 a call, so you don’t have to struggle with ghoulish teeth and gums this month, or any month of the year.