Dentist - Oak Park
7020 W North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60707
708-386-6517
773-745-5555
Archive:
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
Tags
I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend, for once the weather came through and no one had to trick or treat in the rain. I spent most of the weekend at various soccer fields, either coaching or mentoring my young referees. At least I didn't have to watch the Bears attempt to play football this week.
I know as a dentist I'm supposed to be anti Halloween, at least the candy part of it. Some dentists even go so far as to buy the Halloween candy from their patients in the interests of good dental health. I saw one dental newsletter that suggested kids take a bottle of water with them while trick or treating, if they ate some candy before they got home, they could use the water to dilute the acid produced by the sugar in the candy.
While candy is certainly not good for you and can cause tooth decay, many other foods and drinks are equally guilty. As with anything else in life moderation is the key. If all your kids eat for the week after Halloween is candy, it could be a problem. If they have a couple of pieces a day and brush and floss as recommended I wouldn't be too concerned. I'm not in favor of candy being part of an everyday diet but lets be real, in my 30 years of practice I've never seen a huge increase in cavities in any of my patients right after Halloween. I'm much more worried about the constant supply of soda, cookies, chips and other garbage that kids eat on a daily basis.
Go ahead and enjoy your Halloween candy, for that matter your Easter candy as well. Just remember, keep it to a couple of pieces a day, eat some healthy food as well, and make sure to brush and floss. Thanks for stopping by.
Dr. Jeff