Halloween Horror: The Danges of Sour Candy
William Domb DMD
Tart or sour Halloween candies carry an increased risk for promoting tooth erosion and tooth decay. Parents should take extra precautions to monitor Halloween candies for their children as well as to avoid giving them to children who come as Trick-or-Treaters.
This Halloween there is more to be scared of than ghoulish
costumes. What can be terrifying to your child’s teeth is sour
acid candy! These candies come in many varieties and forms:
hard and soft, chewy candies, powdered candies and gums,
sour gels and sprays, crystals, cotton candy and chewing
gums. They contain strong food acids that have been known
to erode the surface of the teeth. Many parents consider these
candies safer because they may contain less sugar, but what
you don’t know is the acid content approaches the pH level of
battery acid.
The growing popularity of these candies has raised concern among dental professionals due to the potential
erosion of the tooth surface. Dental erosion can cause wear to the tooth surface in the form of craters on cusp
tips to thinning of the flat surfaces. When the pH of the mouth drops below 5.5, the tooth surface more prone to
tooth erosion and tooth decay. Other problems such as tooth sensitivity and staining can also develop.
Irritation of the soft tissues of the mouth is common with sour candies and some candies contain warning labels
to this effect.
The following tips are recommended to make Halloween safe for children’s teeth:
Do not purchase sour candies for Trick-or-Treaters
Search your child’s candy sack and remove sour acid candies. Replace these candies with a small piece of
sugarless gum or candy, sticker or small prize.
Xylitol gum is the best; it actually REDUCES and HEALS cavities
If you absolutely need to ear sour candies, do so at meal time vs. in-between meals.
After eating sour candies, rinse your mouth with water immediately. This will help to neutralize the oral
cavity.
Do not brush your teeth immediately after eating these sour candies, wait at least 30 minutes.
See your dental professional if you think you have damage from dental erosion. There are treatments
available that will help.
Tooth decay in children is so preventable but still such an epidemic in less fortunate kids. America's Toothfairy is a great organization that is getting the word out while still contributing to solving this problem. Check out the link below to see how you and your friends can start fundraising for this charity. http://bit.ly/rj2K08
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