Western Dental Shares Tricks for Healthier Trick-or-Treating

ORANGE, Calif., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As trick-or-treaters haul in loads of candy this Halloween, parents can help kids avoid one of the worst consequences of eating all that sugar -- tooth decay.

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Though it's tempting to be ghoulish and ban candy, it's more effective to guide parents and children toward consuming treats more carefully, say the oral health experts at Western Dental Services, Inc., California's largest staff model dental HMO.

Tooth decay is the product of naturally occurring bacteria that digest sugars in the mouth and produce acid, which dissolves tooth enamel.

"The longer you expose your teeth to sugar, the more likely you are to experience damage," says Western Dental Chief Dental Director Dr. Louis Amendola, D.D.S. Gobble a handful of candy, and in about 20 minutes, enzymes in saliva neutralize the enamel-eroding acids.

"If you snack on the same amount of candy, but eat a bit every few minutes, the acid attack doesn't stop, so you're actually causing more damage," said Dr. Amendola.

"The worst offenders are sticky candies that linger long after you eat them," he says.

His tricks for healthier trick-or-treating (for those not ready to skip candy):

-- If you have to offer candy, choose simple chocolate bars because they are eaten quickly and completely, and because cocoa beans contain tannins that interrupt the bacteria's harmful effect on teeth, according to the Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry.

-- Sort your child's candy haul. Throw away or limit slow-dissolving hard candies, suckers, taffy, caramels and other gooey, chewy treats.

-- Rinse or brush after eating candy or seemingly healthy-but-sticky raisins and pretzels.

-- Give treats in moderation, and on a schedule, to limit the number of sugar exposures on enamel per day.

"As parents, we want our kids to be as healthy and happy as possible.  If we can't cut out the harmful sugars, then at least let's be clever in how we deal with them," says Western Dental President and CEO, Samuel H. Gruenbaum.  "Our kids are our most precious treasures," he added, "so let's take the time to care for them in every way."

For more information or to find a nearby dentist, visit www.westerndental.com.

Western Dental Services, Inc., is the largest staff-model dental HMO and clinical provider of dental services in California. With more than 4,400 employees and over 280 company-managed dental offices throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, Western Dental is the leader in family and specialty dental care operations at convenient neighborhood locations. The company's strict quality oversight, affordable treatments, group and individual dental benefit plans, as well as evening and weekend office hours, help keep the smiles of nearly three-quarters of a million patients healthy and bright every year.

SOURCE Western Dental Services, Inc.