Keeping those Smiles BOO-ti-ful this Halloween.

Halloween is fast approaching, and we are surrounded by chocolate and sweets! There are many scary elements to Halloween so let’s not make poor oral health one of them!

It goes without saying, with your child off trick-or-treating next week, the chances of them coming home with healthy treats is slim. We believe in the mantra of ‘everything in moderation’ however, there are many things we can do this week to minimise the risks.

Keep those scary smiles healthy by;

1. Eat Halloween treats with meals or shortly after meals. Saliva production increases during meals and helps cancel out acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.
2. Avoid hard/sticky sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time. The length of time that sugary food is in your mouth plays a vital role in tooth decay. Hard sweets can crack and break your teeth so try to avoid.
3. Avoid sugary drinks as the risk of tooth decay increases every time we drink them and remember to drink plenty of water.
4. If you are deciding to do a Halloween “treasure hunt” at home or in the garden, make sure its on a full stomach, this will limit the urge to eat all the Halloween treats in one go.
5. Remember to brush twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste (aged 2+)

Some healthy Halloween treats

*Breadstick cheese witch brooms – Cut the cheese sticks into thirds. Peel the bottom part of the cheese stick like a broom. Place the breadstick in the centre of the cheese stick. Tie a chive around the broom and cut to size.

*Boo-nanas – Cut bananas in half. Place two mini chocolate chips for the eyes and one large chocolate chip for the mouth.

*Pumpkin patch clementine’s – Peel clementine’s and insert a short celery stick into the top to create a pumpkin stem.

*Mummy Crackers – Top whole grain round crackers with shredded cheese. You can even add slices of black olives for eyes if you want to.

*Strawberry Ghosts – Dip strawberries into Greek yogurt and add chocolate chips for eyes.

Our Scary Smiles competition is BACK! Enter today