Here are a few tips for parents that will help keep teeth healthy during Halloween, according to the American Academy of Dentistry:

• Eat Halloween candy and other sugary foods with meals or shortly after mealtime. Saliva production increases during meals and helps cancel out acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.
• Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time. Besides how often you snack, the length of time sugary food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to an increased risk for tooth decay.
• Avoid sticky candies that cling to your teeth. The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.
• Drink more water. Drinking optimally fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, look for kinds that are fluoridated.
• Maintain a healthy diet. Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you “fill up” affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums.
• Avoid beverages with added sugar such as soda, sports drinks or flavored waters. When teeth come in frequent contact with beverages that contain sugar, the risk of tooth decay is increased.
• Chew gum that has the ADA Seal. Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals helps reduce tooth decay, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize the acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.
• Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job of cleaning your teeth.
• Clean between teeth daily with floss. Decay-causing bacteria get between teeth where toothbrush bristles can’t reach. Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.
• Visit an ADA member dentist, such as HealthNet’s dentists! Regular visits to your ADA-member dentist can help prevent problems from occurring and catch those that do occur early, when they are easy to “treat.”

Candy Corn (25%): Who can turn down the delicious, yet addictive candy we all love to hate? You’ll feel better knowing that there are only about 150 calories, per 22 candy corns.

Caramel Apples (31%): It’s an apple, it has to be healthy, right? Think again. Caramel apples, depending on thickness of caramel and if it has nuts can range from 250-250 calories.

Chocolate Candy (31%): M&M’s, Reese’s and Hershey’s oh my! If you think you’re saving calories by reaching the for snack size, you might be surprised. Snack sizes & fun sizes tend to be different amount and most still rack up calories. Reese’s snack sizes are 100 calories or 180 if you go for the pumpkins instead, while M&M’s only rack up 70 calories.

Gummies (6%): If gummy treats like Dots and Lifesaver gummies are more your style, you might save some calories compared to other Halloween treats. A snack size Dots container has 70 calories, while Lifesaver gummies have 52 calories.

If you are worried you won’t be able to control yourself from reaching into the candy bowl, check out these tips from HealthNet Clinical Dietitian, Karen Gough.

“Don’t get sucked into the ‘see food diet’ that just makes you want to eat the candy because you see it,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, a Cornell researcher and author of Mindless Eating:  Why We Eat More Than We Think. “We eat more of visible foods because it causes us to think about it more, and every time you see the candy bowl you have to decide whether you want a piece of candy or not.

Several ways to avoid eating extra calories is:

• Buy candy you don’t like
• Keep the candy out of sight – when you see it you want it period!
• Savor one or two pieces of your favorite candy once a day
• Chew sugar free gum

Make sure you are eating regularly and including healthy snacks.  Skipping meals and snacks will only cause cravings and you guessed it…. you go for the HALLOWEEN CANDY!

Family time during Halloween was always a fun time for me growing up.

Partly because my Mom’s birthday is on Halloween – so we always celebrated in style! From haunted houses, to choosing our costumes (which were always handmade), to parties, to apple dumplings and cider, to trick-or-treating – the month of October has always been one of my favorites!

With all the Halloween activities planned tomorrow, we want to remind families to have fun while being safe!

Here are some tips for your trick-or-treaters:

• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult
• Always take a flashlight
• Inspect candy and treats before consuming and throw out anything already opened
• Consider participating in local trick-or-treating activities at area churches and fire stations – especially if you are not familiar with your neighborhood
• Make sure your child’s costume is hazard free

Check here for more great tips to keep your kids safe!

Have a safe and

fun Halloween!

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What was your favorite childhood costume for Halloween?