Trick or Treat Part I: Choosing Your Treats Wisely

Halloween is just a few weeks away, and you know what that means, candy galore! Many children’s faces light up at the thought of pumpkin shaped pails weighed down with chocolates, lollipops, gum, gummy bears, and  various other sweet treats.  On the other hand, many parents cringe when they consider how much sugar their children will consume on Halloween and in the days immediately following the ghoulish holiday. Over the next few weeks, Dr Anderson will take a look at the best and worst candies to consume during the holiday.  Let’s start by looking at three of the best types of candy to eat during the Halloween holiday.

Three Best Halloween Candies for kids’ teeth and why: 

1. Sugar Free Lollipops and Hard Candies are examples of good candies to eat during Halloween, because they encourage saliva production, which washes away bacteria, but they don’t have the sugar that bacteria attach to, producing acids that are harmful to tooth enamel.

2. Dark Milk Chocolate is softer and dissolves more quickly from the surface of the tooth and it is easily brushed away, so it is better to eat than stickier candies that remain on teeth long after the child has finished eating them.

3. Powdered Candies pretty much wash away as they are consumed.  So, a candy like pixy stix is a good choice for kids.

Hopefully this list will help you as you set out to purchase goodies for the kids in your neighborhood this holiday.  Stay tuned for next week’s post with information about the worst candies for kids to consume.