Spooky things always happen around October 31, but you definitely don’t want anything creepy to happen with your oral health – or your kids’ teeth. Many people find themselves scheduling an emergency dentistry visit on Halloween or the day after because of the candy they’ve indulged in and the problems those sweets caused. Halloween is a holiday that encourages people to throw caution to the wind – just don’t put your oral health at risk.
Skip the Hard Candy
Hard candy, in general, is fine in moderation and if you rinse with water or brush your teeth afterward so sugar and bacteria don’t stick around for longer than necessary and cause tooth decay. The biggest problem with hard candy that often leads to a dental emergency is when people get tired of eating that sweet and bite into it to break it down and finish it faster.
If your teeth come together on that lollipop, jawbreaker, or other hard sweet the wrong way, you could crack or break a tooth instantly, or even chip a porcelain veneer. And a broken tooth always demands an emergency call to your Red Bank dentist.
Say No to Chewy Sweets
There are some people who have a sweet tooth for all chewy candies – taffy, gummy worms, chewing gum, licorice, and the like. Unfortunately, these are some of the worst sweets for teeth. Besides the fact that they stick like crazy and love to settle in between teeth and create a sugar bath, they could damage your dental work.
There are chewy and gummy candies that have such sticking power they can attach to your tooth-colored filling, porcelain crown, or onlay and pull it right out. Your dentist uses incredibly strong bonding material to place dental restorations, but sometimes sticky, chewy, candy that hardens can be tougher.
Say Yes to Chocolate
If you shouldn’t be eating sticky, chewy, or hard candy, what else is left? Only the very best Halloween sweet – chocolate. And there are plenty of variations available to satisfy your need for something sweet. Pure chocolate – without caramel or nutty centers – is smooth and soft. It melts over your teeth and doesn’t linger like other sweets. You are far less likely to experience any sort of dental damage when you stick to a good, old-fashioned chocolate bar.
Find a Red Bank Emergency Dentist Near Me
If you have any sort of pain, discomfort, or dental damage on Halloween or at any time, always reach out the Red Bank dentist near me for an emergency dentist visit. It’s critical that you get your oral health problem addressed as quickly as possible to avoid further complications from developing. A broken or damaged tooth, whether it’s a natural tooth or one that has been treated with dental restorations or cosmetic dentistry, will not heal on its own.
If you have a Halloween dental emergency, contact Dr. Carole Sherrod Jewell at Red Bank Dentistry in Red Bank, NJ, to find out if you need to be seen right away.
