| Halloween Horror: The Dangers of Sour Candy |
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| Wednesday, 05 October 2011 15:32 |
 By William Domb DMD Tue, Sep 06, 2011Tart or sour Halloween candies carry an increased risk for promoting tooth erosion and tooth decay. Parents should take extra precautions to monitor Halloween candies for their children as well as to avoid giving them to children who come as Trick-or-Treaters.
This Halloween there is more to be scared of than ghoulish costumes. What can be terrifying to your child’s teeth is sour acid candy! These candies come in many varieties and forms: hard and soft, chewy candies, powdered candies and gums, sour gels and sprays, crystals, cotton candy and chewing gums. They contain strong food acids that have been known to erode the surface of the teeth. Many parents consider these candies safer because they may contain less sugar, but what you don’t know is the acid content approaches the pH level of battery acid.
The growing popularity of these candies has raised concern among dental professionals due to the potential erosion of the tooth surface. Dental erosion can cause wear to the tooth surface in the form of craters on cusp tips to thinning of the flat surfaces. When the pH of the mouth drops below 5.5, the tooth surface more prone to tooth erosion and tooth decay. Other problems such as tooth sensitivity and staining can also develop. Irritation of the soft tissues of the mouth is common with sour candies and some candies contain warning labels to this effect. The following tips are recommended to make Halloween safe for children’s teeth: • Do not purchase sour candies for Trick-or-Treaters • Search your child’s candy sack and remove sour acid candies. Replace these candies with a small piece of sugarless gum or candy, sticker or small prize. • Xylitol gum is the best; it actually REDUCES and HEALS cavities • If you absolutely need to ear sour candies, do so at meal time vs. in-between meals. • After eating sour candies, rinse your mouth with water immediately. This will help to neutralize the oral cavity. • Do not brush your teeth immediately after eating these sour candies, wait at least 30 minutes. • See your dental professional if you think you have damage from dental erosion. There are treatments available that will help.  Dr. Domb graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and practices in Upland CA. He is an Associate Professor at Loma Linda Dental School in the postgraduate program, and teaches oral medicine at a medical school. He teaches dentists internationally about periodontal healthcare, including the use of new ozone therapy techniques. He does extensive volunteer work to the under privileged in his area and in remote areas of Mexico and South America. He is a Founding Member of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Healthcare.http://aaoshconnect.org/issue/september-2011/article/halloween-horror-the-dangers-of-sour-candy |