The Dental Dangers of Candy and Sugar - Halloween 2014

Halloween is almost here! There are plenty of fun times to be had in the future – dressing up, consuming candies and chocolates, laughing with friends, and trick-or-treating. Children love it… and parents do too!

A simple question for you: What do consumers spend the most on during Halloween?

A. Candy

B. Costumes

C. Decorations

Everything in Moderation!

Believe it or not, costumes are what consumers spend the most on during Halloween (and it’s probably because they cost more than candy does). Don’t be mistaken, however, because candy is a close second. Analysts have predicted that $2.8 billion dollars will be spent on costumes this year, and $2.2 billion dollars will be spent on candy.*

I’m not sure what you’re thinking but $2.2 billion dollars worth of candy is A LOT of candy. There’s really only one thing to do with candy and that’s consume it. As a holistic dentist it is my personal duty to remind you of the dental dangers of candy consumption this Halloween.

Sugar is the Scariest Costume

It comes dressed in a shiny, white costume – you can’t miss it. As tempting as candy is, we often fall into the sugar trap during Halloween in which our consumption of sugary foods begins to spike. Can you relate? Sugar can cause damage on our teeth if it's not properly addressed.

When we consume sugar, our body is responsible for breaking it down, which it does at a slow pace, but results in a byproduct that is basically acid. This acid sits in our teeth, slowly damaging our enamel – which is what protects our teeth. It also works with the bacteria in our mouth to slowly rot our teeth, responsible for many cavities and tooth decay.

Addressing the Sticky Situation

Chocolates are better. It’s hard to tell children to put their candy down, especially if they worked hard in earning it walking up and down many streets. If you’re going to allow your child to eat any sweets then we prefer chocolates because they are not as damaging as other candies. Remember: in Moderation!

Giving is better than receiving. Children are too excited about receiving candy and hardly ever want to give it up. However, there are great lessons to be learned here. Use an incentive to have your child give their candy away (to a friend, family member, or through a buy-back program, etc.). It will teach them what it’s all about to give, rather than receive – a feeling they might actually enjoy! We know we do.

Visit your dentist. Sugar is sticky and has a tendency to linger around in your mouth until action is taken – action being daily brushing, daily flossing, and visiting your dentist for a natural dental cleaning. Anything that you miss at home can be taken care of and cleaned up by your dentist for a new, fresh cavity-free mouth.

Be sure to have a great Halloween this year – stay safe, have fun, and try not to overdo it on the candy!  

Happy Halloween from the team at Centers for Healing!

*Source: https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/record-number-of-americans-buy-halloween-costumes

Diving Into A Holistic Lifestyle Built Around Good Nutrition and Healthy Living

A healthy, holistic lifestyle is often sought by many but hardly achieved. At Centers for Healing, it’s our devout mission to help you achieve your best physical, dental, and emotional health, which is why we feel it’s our duty to provide you with a few quick tips on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

First off, let’s clarify exactly what “healthy” truly is. If you bring out a dictionary and search for the word “healthy” you will come up with a standard definition that resembles something along the lines of “in good health” or “not diseased”. I don’t believe I’m diseased so therefore I’m “healthy”?

The World Health Organization wanted to curb the confusion by offering its own definition of the word “healthy”. They came up with: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Achieving Good Health

Eating Your Fruits & Vegetables

There’s a reason mama always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables: because they’re good for you! It’s more than just about fruits and vegetables… it’s about eating foods that are not processed with added salt, carbohydrates, and fat. Look for grains, vegetables, fruits, and foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, also known as “whole foods”. They may be more expensive, but consider it an investment towards GOOD HEALTH.

Avoiding Harmful Substances

This includes minimizing exposure to known harmful substances such as nicotine, alcohol, a host of many food and drink additives (i.e. sodium nitrates, BPA, food coloring), and of course amalgam fillings that contain mercury.

Exercise

Let’s be honest, most of us hate being reminded to exercise but this wouldn’t be a legitimate article on a healthy lifestyle if it didn’t include exercise or physical activity somewhere. Physical activity is a fact of any health lifestyle. We encourage exercising with friends as this always makes the activity a lot more bearable and may even be something to look forward to.

Mental Well-Being

A healthy mental well-being is important for achieving a healthy lifestyle. Your mental well-being is closely related to how happy you are and how much sleep you are receiving each night. Relax, take time off for yourself, have fun with your friends, family, or partner. The small things really do matter, as well as consistently receiving at least 6 and a half hours of sleep each night (try aiming for 7-8 hours).

Follow our holistic dentist's advice on how to live healthier and happier and you'll begin feeling much better about yourself, we promise!