Planning a Halloween party without inviting extra sugar doesn’t have to be scary. Here are our favorite, non-alcoholic craft cocktail, mocktail, recipes for Halloween.
Halloween Mocktails for a Healthy Halloween Party
Ease Dental Anxiety with Your Kids
*Updated April 2023
One of the most important ways to keep your kid cavity-free is to see the dentist regularly. Routine checkups and cleanings are completely covered by most dental plans, so there’s no reason to skip a visit. However, if you have kids that have dental anxiety, getting them to the dentist may feel impossible.
It’s important to take the time to ease dental anxiety with your kids to keep their mouths and bodies healthy. Keep reading for some tips and tricks to make their next appointment easier:
Tips to ease dental anxiety with your kids
Fear of the dentist is not uncommon in children. Helping them to overcome their fears is an important part of ensuring good oral health for their entire lives. Here are some tips to help them feel more comfortable at the dentist’s office.
- Start taking your kids to the dentist early. The American Dental Association recommends children visit the dentist within six months of their first tooth or by age 1. Early visits give kids a chance to become familiar with the dentist and may help reduce anxiety down the road.
- Lead by example. If you’re nervous about the dentist, your kids might pick up on it and adopt the same attitude. According to a study in the International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, adults can transfer their dental anxiety or fears to family members. Make a conscious effort to demonstrate a positive attitude toward the dentist while articulating the value of regular visits. By modeling relaxed behavior, you can let your kids know there’s nothing to be afraid of.
- Read books that explain the dental experience. Reshape children’s attitudes with the power of the page. Pick up library books that explain dental appointments in kid-friendly language. Popular options include Curious George Visits the Dentist by A. Rey, Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer, and Open Wide: School Tooth Inside by Laurie Keller. To build even more positive associations with the dentist, try bringing their favorite toy or game to appointments.
- Make your child comfortable with your dentist and their staff. Stop by the dental office beforehand so your kids learn what to expect in a lower-pressure situation. Introducing them to the dentist and staff without the stakes of an actual appointment can help them feel more comfortable in the environment.
- Practice beforehand. Create a mock dental visit in your own home to remove any confusion they have about what happens in the dental chair. Pretend to clean your child’s teeth while explaining how visiting the dentist helps keep their smiles in tip-top shape.
- Use relaxation techniques. If you’ve tried everything and your kids still get the heebie-jeebies in the dental chair, try calming them down with some simple relaxation exercises. Instruct your child to inhale and exhale slowly and steadily. You can also try a technique where they tense different muscle groups as tight as can be, then release.
A positive, comfortable relationship with your dentist or your child’s dentist is extremely important to ease dental anxiety. Anxiety at any age can be alleviated when you’re comfortable with those who are taking care of your teeth.
How Some Illnesses Affect the Health of Your Teeth
Illnesses can impact the health of your teeth, from stomach acid on teeth to excess sugar from medicine. When you’re sick, you may also be less inclined to keep your regular oral health routine. Here’s how some illnesses can impact your teeth and how you can take better care of them while you’re sick:
Stomach Illness and Stomach Acid on Teeth
Illnesses like the stomach flu can be particularly hard on your teeth. When you have the stomach flu and you vomit, stomach acid splashes against your teeth and gums.
Stomach acid, also known as gastric acid, contains strong acids like hydrochloric acid, potassium chloride, and sodium chloride. Stomach acid on teeth is bad news. Since this acid breaks down the contents of your stomach, it can do the same to your teeth.
Even though your teeth may feel yucky, it’s not great to brush right after vomiting. It’s best to swish water around your mouth with a touch of baking soda. We recommend waiting at least 30 minutes before brushing. Brushing immediately afterward rubs the stomach acid on teeth and expands the surface area that the acid touches, unnecessarily causing the acid to eat away at more enamel.
Sore Throat and Cough Drops
You avoided the stomach flu like the plague. But, you still caught a cough or sore throat. Keep this important tip in mind: soothe your throat with sugar-free cough drops.
Many of the popular cough drops on the market have added sugars to cut the taste of medicine. Sugar builds up on your teeth as you pop one cough drop after another. It might help to curb your cough, but it will wreak havoc on your teeth.
If you examine popular “natural” cough drop ingredients, the first ingredient is often sugar. Be sure to read the packaging thoroughly before committing to a cough drop regimen – it could be no better than sucking on a candy all day. If you’re looking to cut out any type of cough drop, another option to sooth a sore throat (without your teeth being exposed for a prolonged period of time) is the concoction of hot water, honey, and lemon. Just mix the juice from half of a lemon and a teaspoon of raw, high-quality honey into a cup of hot water.
Now you can properly attend to both your illness and your teeth. We’re one step closer to discovering if brushing your teeth helps to fight illness!
Without proper hygiene, bacteria in the mouth can reach dangerously high levels, leading to tooth decay and gum disease. Learn more about the connection between your oral and overall health:
Brushing Teeth with Braces | A Dentist’s Guide
Whether you or your child’s braces are on for 6 months or 2 years, it’s imperative to develop proper brushing habits right away. Braces provide far more nooks and crannies in our mouths for food and plaque to hide in, making proper brushing technique, frequency, and toothpaste crucial. While it’s always important to brush your teeth, taking extra precautions with braces will both prevent tooth decay and avoid decalcification marks. Decalcification is weakened enamel that appears as white marks on the teeth.
Oral health issues that may arise with age
As you age, your body can experience shifts in health that affect your mouth in unexpected ways. In honor of Healthy Aging Month, take a look at two conditions people may encounter with age that can affect their oral health: Sjögren’s syndrome and bone loss.
An after-school snack your kids (and their teeth) will love
RECIPE: Sweet potato chips
Treat your kids to a delicious and healthy after-school snack on their first week back from summer break. These sweet potato chips are a great way to replace starchy, salty chips with something that tastes just as great and helps maintain gum health with a boost of vitamins A and C.
Understanding the ins and outs of Dual Coverage
It’s not uncommon to be covered by two dental benefits plans, which means that you have “dual coverage.” If this applies to you or your family members, take a moment to learn how dual coverage works with these four key points.
Better Breakfasts for Brighter Smiles
A quick breakfast means getting on with our day faster. Unfortunately, one of the more common breakfast options – cereal – might some unintended consequences for teeth. So what should better breakfasts include for brighter smiles?
Too much sugar at breakfast time isn’t a great way to start the day, and some cereals have more sugar than you might think. A report noted that cereals marketed to children had more added sugar per serving than what federal regulations recommend. When these refined sugars come into contact with teeth, dental plaque reacts with them to create acids. Over time and with enough exposure, those acids can cause cavities.
The good news for parents is that there are lots of ways to avoid this cavity-causing effect. Opting for healthier cereals is a great place to start. Look for low-sugar options, preferably with four grams of sugar or less in one serving. You should also choose varieties made from whole grains to maintain nutrients like fiber, which stimulates saliva flow to help keep teeth clean. To navigate through the multitude of options, read the packaging and pay close attention to the valuable nutrition information that is typically on the back or side.
Regardless of which cereal you choose, there are ways to minimize the effects it can have on your teeth. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association, drinking milk after eating sugary breakfast cereals can help decrease your risk of cavities. It can also help to brush after your meal, and only eat cereal at breakfast time instead of snacking on it throughout the day.
If you choose to limit the amount of sugary cereals you eat, make sure you’re still enjoying a hearty breakfast. Take a look at our list of alternatives that’ll give you the boost you need without hurting your teeth:
- Fruit – apples, berries, cherries, melons, pears
- Dairy products – yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese slices
- Protein – Canadian bacon, lean ham, turkey bacon, and light turkey or chicken sausage
- Eggs – sunny-side up, omelets, crustless quiche
- Smoothies and smoothie bowls (avoid adding fruit juices that are high in sugar)
- Whole-wheat toast and whole-wheat bagels
With slight adjustments to your morning routine, you can start the day on the right note while curbing your risk for tooth decay.
Insurance Card 101
If you misplaced your Delta Dental insurance card, don’t worry. Your online account hosts several resources, including an online version. Here’s how you can access yours:
The In-between Tooth: Guide to Bicuspids
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