How to keep your dentist happy this Halloween

Believe it or not, dentists don't actually hate Halloween. Dentists have children of their own who love Halloween. The inner child of the dentist loves Halloween too. What do dentists not love? Cavities. Where do cavities come from? Too much sugar and poor dental hygiene. Its no surprise therefore why people assume dentists don't like Halloween. Of course, indulging in sugary treats every Halloween isnt a dentists dream but were not telling you or your children to stop having fun. Its just fun in sugary moderation. Here are our top tips to having a dental care free Halloween.

Avoid Sticky Sweets

You know the ones. Those annoying sweets that stick to your teeth. The amount of time a sugary snack stays in your mouth is a huge factor in how bad tooth decay can become. If the remains of a sweet is stuck to a tooth, it will take longer for the saliva in your mouth to wash it away. IF sticky sweets are your absolute favourite, why not try sugar free alternatives?

Avoid Sugary Drinks

One way to cut down on the sugar this Halloween is by sticking to sugar free drinks. If you cant resist sweets at Halloween, switching to sugar free alternatives will cause less tooth decay. Of course, water is the best option.

Soft sweets instead of hard sweets

We've all put a sweet in our mouth, taken a bite and realised its a hard one. The problem with hard sweets is that they stay in your mouth longer than soft ones. The longer a sugary sweet stays in your mouth, the higher the chance of tooth decay.

Eat candy for dinner

Okay so we don't literally mean substitute a meal time with a packet of sweets. What we do mean however, is to eat candy before or just after meal time. The reason being is that saliva production is significantly increased during meal time, helping cancel out bacteria and washing away food particles. This means that extra saliva is in the mouth to wash away sugary candy.

Floss like your life depends on it

Your mouth will thank for you it. Flossing is important, especially at Halloween. If you have indulged in candy, be sure to floss in the evening. Decay causing bacteria will get between your teeth where toothbrushes cant reach. Flossing will remove plaque and food particles that have got stuck between teeth.

Jessica's Testimonial

So there are our top five tips to keep your dentist happy this Halloween. One patient who wishes she could have read our top tips this time last year in Jessica from Barry. Jessica had many treats last Halloween and one almighty trick. She kindly shares her story with us below. I love Halloween. I love everything about it. I love buying pumpkins and carving them. I love dressing up, throwing parties and I love sweets. Im not going to stop eating sweets, in the same way Im not going to stop treating myself at Christmas. Its a holiday, and you're allowed that privilege, right? That said, this Halloween Im being a lot more careful because I had the worst thing happen to me last year. It was my first Halloween living in Cardiff. I originally come from Barry but had moved to the city centre last year and was ready to celebrate Halloween with my friends. We threw a big party at mine and my friends place. I had dressed up, rather ironically as the tooth fairy. That was something I was never going to live down after what was to follow that night. We assumed we wouldn't have many trick or treaters because we were living in an apartment complex. Any one that knocked on our door would be people within in the apartments. This seemed to mostly be students and young adults. Nevertheless, we had all the candy in the world. With places like Poundland selling sweets so cheap, everything was bringing so many sweets with them. I honestly could have swum in an ocean of candy in my apartment.

"I needed a dentist near me desperately..."

I remember we were watching Saw when it happened. I bit into a hard boiled sweet without even looking. I bit so hard, and wasn't expecting it to be a hard boiled sweet. The pain I felt then was immense. I don't know how it happen but a huge chip appeared in one of my top teeth. I remember covering my mouth and rushing straight to the bathroom. It was so embarrassing but there was nothing I could do about it that evening. I didn't eat another thing that night. I refused. Id eaten a pizza not long before so I wasn't hungry anyway. If sweets are just there in front you, then you eat them. The next day was a Sunday and I knew I wouldn't be able to find a dentist near me on a Sunday. Nevertheless, I decided to check far and wide on the internet to see if anyone was open. It was such a huge chip, or at least it seemed it to me. I didn't actually need to search that far for a dentist near me, because the first result was Bamboo Dental. I was over the moon to have found a dentist near me that was open on a Sunday. I called up first thing and begged them for an emergency appointment. Luckily they always make room for emergency appointments. I drove straight into the practice and saw one of your kind dentists who help cover the chip. I was still self-conscious about it however. Bamboo told me that I could consider veneers. I always assumed veneers were expensive. Even though they cost less than I had assumed, I still couldn't have afforded them on my wage. Luckily Bamboo, dentist near me, told me there were pay monthly options available. They sent me a link to apply for finance online and now, twelve months on, I have finished paying off my veneer. They booked me in for an appointment a week after and the process began. What I cant believe is how real the veneer looks. The dentists help you find a shade that matches your teeth so it doesn't look noticeable. I cant believe the trauma went through all because I couldn't keep my hands out the sweety jar! Thank god there was a dentist near me that could help me out at such short notice. We were more than happy to help Jessica out in her hour of need, but of course, prevention is far better than treatment. So be sure to follow our top tips or else you'll end up like Jessica, all tricks and no treats!