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Many families are looking forward to Halloween, but if your kid wears braces, they do need to take care. They can still enjoy this celebration, but it is important to avoid certain foods and snacks that could damage braces.

Sweet Treats That Are Best Avoided

Sticky sweets like caramel, gummy bears and taffy are incredibly difficult to remove from braces and can get stuck in between brackets, bands and wires. Very hard sweets like lollipops, sweets containing nuts, chocolate covered pretzels and caramel covered apples can all be problematic for braces and can easily break wires and loosen brackets. Popcorn is often overlooked but can be very hard, especially if you inadvertently bite on an unpopped kernel. Also, pieces of popcorn can become painfully lodged between teeth and braces.

Sweet Treats to Enjoy with Braces Safely

Even though certain things are off the menu, there is still lots to enjoy. Treats that can be eaten safely include peanut butter cups and chocolates that will melt easily and don’t require much chewing. Baked goods such as pumpkin cake or pie, or ice cream and milkshakes are all safe to eat with braces. Alternatively, you could decide to skip the sweet treats entirely and to hand out small toys, stickers, crayons and other inexpensive items. These will be a nice treat for all those kids wearing braces this Halloween.

The thought of all those Halloween goodies can be scary, but with a little creativity, it is possible to include some healthier options in the mix.

• Fill up your kid with a healthy meal before trick or treating, which can reduce the temptation to eat too much of the sweet stuff.
• Purchase or make a smaller collection container for your child to take around and encourage them only to take one sweet treat from each house.
• Instead of driving kids around, walk from house to house so everyone gets some exercise and you’ll also get to appreciate all the Halloween decorations more easily.
• Check all edible items carefully before letting your kid eat anything. Discard items that are beyond their sell-by date or which look questionable.
• Talk to your child beforehand and decide how many sweets they can take and eat and encourage them to think about the consequences of eating too much!
• If you have too many treats, donate them or freeze some favourites, or use them in baking.
• If you are staying at home and are handing out treats, include healthy choices like nuts or pumpkin seeds, sugar-free chewing gum, snack boxes of dried fruit and fresh juicy clementines or oranges decorated to look like Jack O’ Lanterns.

At this time of year sales of sweets are soaring in preparation for the sugar-fest that is Halloween.  But it is only once a year, and with a bit of planning, you can have your cake, or sweets and enjoy them too.

Chew on Chocolate

Chocolate is soft and melts easily, but it is better to chew it and not suck it. When you suck on chocolate, it takes longer to melt and is in contact with teeth for longer, increasing the risk of cavities. Generally, chocolate is a good choice for Halloween treats because it won’t last very long in the mouth.

Slurp Don’t Sip Fruit Juice or Fizzy Drinks

Fruit juices and fizzy drinks are terrible for teeth, but the sooner you guzzle them down, the better as it reduces the time your teeth are bathed in sugars.

Sticky Sweets are Worst for Teeth

Sticky sweets like caramels, taffy and toffees are terrible for teeth. They take ages to eat, and once you finally swallow the last sugary fragment, you can be sure plenty more remain trapped on and between your teeth.

After eating anything sweet, rinse your mouth with water and wait half an hour before brushing. It allows acidity levels to normalise in your mouth, reducing the damage to your pearly whites.

When you meet someone new, your smile is one of the first things they notice, but it takes a bit of dedication to have a healthy and attractive smile. We’ve listed a few easy tips to help improve your dental health and the appearance of your smile.

1. Floss every day, as flossing removes plaque and food debris between teeth and just underneath your gum line, where a toothbrush cannot reach. Daily flossing prevents gum disease and tooth decay.
2. Book twice-yearly visits to our hygienist here at One Smile. Routine dental cleanings help to keep your teeth and gums in great shape, removing plaque and tartar buildup that can otherwise cause gum disease. Also, having your teeth cleaned professionally leaves them looking sparkly and your mouth feeling beautifully fresh.
3. Quit smoking as it stains your teeth and increases your risk of developing gum disease. Smoking gives you bad breath and is terrible for your health on many levels.
4. Reduce your consumption of coffee, tea and red wine as these drinks can stain your pearly whites. Otherwise, drinking through a straw can reduce the staining effect on your teeth.
5. Drink plenty of water as it’s great for your smile and body.

If spring leaves you with the urge to clean, think about spring cleaning your oral health routine too. It’s an excellent time of year to book your regular checkups and hygiene appointments and especially as the summer months can be busy for many people. Regularly seeing our dentist should be part of your preventative dental care routine and is an easy way to maintain a healthy mouth. Some of the advantages of preventative dental care are outlined below.

Reducing Plaque

Regular dental visits and cleanings remove plaque and tartar from your teeth. If plaque is left to build up over your teeth and gums, it increases your risk of gum disease, cavities and other dental problems.

Reversing Early Gum Disease

Early gum disease is called gingivitis and is entirely reversible with improved oral care. We can professionally clean your teeth and provide advice on how to brush and floss more effectively. If you don’t treat gingivitis, it will soon progress into periodontal disease, a condition that destroys gum and bone, causing tooth loss.

Protecting Your Overall Health

Your oral health is closely linked to overall health. When your mouth is free from dental disease, it protects you against serious health problems like diabetes, heart disease and other systemic diseases. Also, we can screen regularly for oral cancer, as early detection can lead to a far better long-term prognosis.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies like hay fever, you know all about the unpleasant side-effects including coughing, sneezing, having a stuffy nose and itchy, watery eyes. What’s not so well-known is the potential effect on your dental health as allergies can increase the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath and sore throats.

Frequently, hay fever causes sinus pain, and when your sinuses are full of mucus, the additional pressure can press down on your upper back teeth, potentially causing toothache. One way to tell if it is true toothache is to take antihistamines to relieve the symptoms. If the tooth pain remains, it’s best to come and see us here at One Smile, in case the toothache is due to an infection.

Other problems include dry mouth and especially if you need to breathe through your mouth. Medications like antihistamines can frequently cause dry mouth as a side-effect. When your mouth is drier, it loses the protective effects of saliva, increasing your risk of cavities, bad breath and gum disease. If you have dry mouth, make sure you drink plenty of water, and some people like to chew sugar-free gum or suck sugar-free sweets. Also, remember we can provide you with additional advice and care to reduce the impact of hay fever on your dental health.

Every August marks the Australian Dental Association’s annual oral health promotion event and which aims to educate and encourage Australians to look after their dental health. This year the campaign focuses on a new initiative to track oral health here in Australia. It is tempting to think that most Australians have pretty good oral health, but unfortunately, this isn’t the reality. Some 65% of the population hasn’t seen a dentist in the last two years. Around half the population only brush their teeth once a day, and nearly 40% never floss. Nearly three-quarters of young people eat too many sugary foods.

These are worrying facts that we would love to change. Our practice is warm and friendly, and we particularly welcome people who haven’t been to the dentist for a while, perhaps because of dental fears or phobias. With the proper care, we can help people overcome these feelings and provide education on the best way to look after teeth.

The good news is that once you have healthy teeth, maintenance is easy with these tips:

• Visit us regularly for checkups and cleans
• Brush your teeth at least twice daily with fluoridated toothpaste
• Floss daily, but if you hate flossing let us show you how easy it can be
• Eat a healthy diet and limit your sugar consumption

We have designed a Find a Word which contains ten hidden toothy terms. If your child hasn’t tried it yet, ask us for a copy at your next visit.

Word searches are just one way we engage with kids, and we find these tools can help them to learn about good oral care from a young age. Our dental practice is passionate about educating our younger patients, and we are always introducing new, interesting ways for them to learn. Although good dental care is important, kids are much more open to learning when it is entertaining too, and they are far more likely to remember the serious message in that activity.

Our team also works directly with kids and can show your child the best way to brush and floss their teeth, so they grow up using the best and most effective techniques from the beginning. We will explain why good dental care is so important and can help your child build good oral care routines that we hope will last for life. When children are educated in the proper way to look after their teeth, they are more likely to grow up viewing dental visits as just routine, and hopefully will see our practice as somewhere enjoyable to visit.

Right now, we are holding a colouring competition for our younger patients and have already received some beautiful entries. If your child hasn’t entered yet, ask us for an entry form during your next visit or pop into our dental practice any time. We will be announcing the lucky prize winner in a later edition of our eNewsletter.

Colouring competitions are just one way our dental practice engages with our younger patients, and we work hard ensuring each dental visit is fun and entertaining for little ones. We firmly believe dental visits should be as much fun for children as possible, and that dental treatment certainly shouldn’t be scary!

We love seeing young children and especially teaching them how to care for their mouth. Our experienced dental team can show your child how to brush and floss properly, so they grow up knowing the correct techniques right from the start. Equally importantly, we can explain why good dental care is crucial for a healthy mouth, using terminology that is easy for a young child to understand. When children have a positive experience in the dental chair, they are more likely to grow up with healthy, strong teeth and without any fears or phobias. Receiving the right dental care now can make all the difference to your child enjoying a lifetime of good dental health.

Getting your kids off to school in the mornings can be a rush, and unfortunately, many children will head off to school without a clean, healthy mouth. Worryingly, more than a few children begin their school lives with tooth decay, a completely avoidable disease.

Here are some simple steps to make sure your child’s teeth receive top marks:

• Brush their baby teeth as soon as they come through. Book your child’s first dental appointment by age 1 to check everything is okay. You’ll also get lots of helpful advice from us on how to care for your child’s teeth.
• Make sure your child brushes their teeth for two minutes twice a day, preferably first thing in the morning and last thing at night using fluoride toothpaste. Supervise your child until you are confident that they can be trusted to brush for the full two minutes, usually around age 7.
• Let your child choose a toothpaste flavour they like, but make sure it is fluoridated and preferably has the seal of approval from the Australian Dental Association.
• They can also choose their toothbrush, but ensure it has a small head and soft bristles, and replace it regularly.