If you know Dr. Koplon and his team, you know that we LOVE Halloween. Halloween should be a time that your kids look forward to, but also can be a valuable time to teeth your family about the important of good dental healthcare and the impact that certain foods have on one's teeth.

To ensure your family has a fun and festive Halloween, Dr. Koplon has sharing his trusted top tips for having a Halloween that your family can enjoy in moderation:

1. Eat a healthy dinner beforehand: It goes without saying that if your family has a well-balanced dinner before heading out to trick-or-treat, they will be less apt to overindulge once out in the neighborhood. Candy should definitely be enjoyed, but too much sugar at once is not good for one's teeth.
2. Hand out healthier options: It might not make you the most popular house on the block, but try handing out healthier options like pretzels, trail mix and granola bars. With so many options on the market, there's plenty of products that are still very tasty and healthy but aren't packed with sticky sugars.
3. Avoid sticky candies: In a situation where picking the "better" candy is an option, it goes without saying that chocolate bars and chocolate based candies are highly recommended in comparison to sticky, sour or hard candies. Not only are sticky, sour and hard candies like candy corn and jelly beans packed with sugar that easily attaches and gets stuck on teeth throughout the mouth, they're most likely to get stuck in your child's braces and pull out temporary, even sometimes, permanent teeth (that goes for our adult trick-or-treaters too).
4. Sort it out: Once you get home, go through your children's candy with them. Explain to them why certain sticky and hard candies aren't good for their teeth and encourage them to pick candies that are "better" options (i.e.: Reeses > Sour Patch Kids). You want your kids to enjoy Halloween and their candy in moderation, but it's a great chance for them to understand what candies can cause harm to their teeth more than others.
5. Brush & clean: After a fun night of trick-or-treating, make sure your kids brush AND floss their teeth-- this is very important! After eating many types of candy full of sugar, it's important to make sure a thorough brushing occurs to remove any lingering candy stuck on or between teeth.

Have any other questions for Dr. Koplon and his team? Give us a call at 205-699-2551.