Halloween Candy Buy-Back
We hope all our patients have a fabulous Halloween! Love it or hate it, Halloween has grown in popularity over the last few years in Australia. This has also meant a growth in the number of lollies that end up in houses across the country on November 1st.
When all that candy is hanging around, it’s tempting for kids and their parents to indulge a bit too much with sweets. It’s tons of fun going door to door saying “Trick or Treat!” and filling up your bucket, but it’s not so much fun when you’ve got loads of candy at home that could cause cavities!
We want our patients to have fun on Halloween, but we’d rather them not binge on sugar soon after, so we at Curran Dental are running our first ever “Halloween Candy Buy-Back”.
On November 1st to the 2nd, we’ll be offering $1 per 100g of Halloween candy up to maximum of $10 per child! Children need to come in with a responsible adult. All the candy collected will be donated to emergency volunteer organisations in Port Lincoln.
We are a bit tongue in cheek with this whole idea, we are not so sure we could convince our own kids to come in and trade their hard-earned candy for cash, but we like to think this might start a discussion in your household about lollies/candy/sweets. It is important to know that not all candy is created equal! The number 1 dentist recommended candy is chocolate!! It melts off teeth rather than sticking to them and is usually lower in sugar than the sticky, chewy candies. Dark chocolate has the least amount of sugar and also contains a flavonoid called epicatechin that has been shown to slow tooth decay. Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols which is a natural chemical that limits bad bacteria that attack our teeth, they also reduce bad breath.
On the other hand, sour candy is dangerous because not only is it sugary but it is also very acidic. The low pH weakens our enamel and make teeth more vulnerable to cavities. We also warn our patients to stay away from sticky and gummy lollies because these tend to stick around longer. The sugar gest stuck in the groove of our teeth and causes more damage because of the increased exposure. This is the same reason we don’t like lollipops because kids tend to suck on the sugar over a longer period of time. Biting into hard lollies can also be really dangerous as it can crack our teeth.
The candy buyback is a great way to get rid of some of the candy hanging around your house for a good cause, but you can also set other limitations to help your child limit their cavity risk this time of year. Some parents will limit candy only to the weekends, allow their children to keep as many pieces as they are years old, or trade in their candy to the “Switch Witch” for a prize or toy instead! Brushing is extra important this time of year, as well as drinking plenty of water or even chewing sugarless gum shortly after indulging in a sweet treat.