Georgia Dental Association Offers Candy-Eating Tips to Keep Cavities At Bay

National Brush Day is November 1

News provided by

Oct 29, 2014, 02:02 ET

ATLANTA, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Halloween is around the corner, which for many children can mean a stockpile of sweets that put them at risk for cavities. To reinforce good oral health on National Brush Day (Nov. 1), the Georgia Dental Association offers the following tips to keep teeth healthy this Halloween.

"Visiting your dentist twice a year and brushing teeth twice daily are great preventive measures, but what you eat can also make a difference," says Georgia Dental Association President Dr. Doug Torbush.

Beware of candies like gummies and taffy, which stick to your teeth longer than something like chocolate, which easily washes away with saliva or by rinsing. Also, hard sugary candies remain in the mouth longer, giving bacteria more time to create acid that weakens tooth enamel. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to an increased risk for tooth decay.

The Georgia Dental Association offers the following tips to help reduce tooth decay and still enjoy Halloween:

Drink more water. Drinking optimally fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, look for kinds that are fluoridated.
Maintain a healthy diet. Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you "fill up" affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums.
Avoid beverages with added sugar such as soda, sports drinks or flavored waters. When teeth come in frequent contact with beverages that contain sugar, the risk of tooth decay is increased.
Chew gum that has the ADA Seal. Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals helps reduce tooth decay, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize the acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.
Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do a good job of cleaning your teeth.
Clean between teeth daily with floss. Decay-causing bacteria get between teeth where toothbrush bristles can't reach. Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.
Visit a GDA member dentist. Regular visits to your GDA-member dentist can help prevent problems from occurring and catch those that do occur early, when they are easy to "treat."

Several dentist offices across Georgia will be sponsoring Halloween candy buy-back drives in November to collect unopened candy to send to U.S. troops overseas. Participants will receive cash or prizes for every pound of candy they donate. The candy will then be donated to troops serving overseas through Operation Gratitude.

For Halloween candy buy-back locations in Georgia and to find a Georgia Dental Association dentist near you, visit www.gadental.org.

About the Georgia Dental Association
The not-for-profit Georgia Dental Association (GDA) is the state's largest dental association, representing 3,300 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information in Georgia, the GDA has promoted the highest standards of dentistry through education, advocacy and professionalism since 1859. A state dental society of the American Dental Society, the GDA is based in Atlanta.

SOURCE Georgia Dental Association