{"id":12214,"date":"2015-10-28T10:09:30","date_gmt":"2015-10-28T14:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drmaggiedavis.com\/?p=12214"},"modified":"2015-10-28T10:09:30","modified_gmt":"2015-10-28T14:09:30","slug":"have-a-healthy-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drmaggiedavis.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/28\/have-a-healthy-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"Have a Healthy Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means! Oodles of costumes and candy coming your way. Sometimes the scariest part about Halloween for parents and pediatric dentists alike is not the ghoulish grins, vampires, or werewolves on every street, it\u2019s the tooth decay and cavities that lurk in the bottom of those trick-or-treat bags. While cavities are pretty scary, it\u2019s important that your child banishes tooth decay every day. Just because they get an overload of sugary treats this time of year, doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019ll stop slaying cavity-causing bacteria. Here are a few things you can do to remind your kiddos to keep their teeth healthy while in a caramel craze.\n\nBrush and Floss Those Chompers \u2013\n\nJust because it\u2019s Halloween doesn\u2019t mean you can skimp on brushing and flossing those teeth, especially when you\u2019ve been bingeing on fun-sized candy bars. Brushing teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time removes the sugar and bacteria that leads to cavities. Flossing is especially important to remove any gooey or nutty remnants from between the teeth. By making sure your kids brush and floss the sugar off their teeth before they fall into a caramel coma, you\u2019ll make sure no cavities comes a long.\n\nProvide Lots of Alternatives \u2013\n\nWhile it\u2019s no surprise that candy is the belle of the ball on Halloween, by providing your kids with healthy alternatives you\u2019d be surprised at how often they reach for the tangerine jack-o-lantern, banana ghosts with chocolate chips for eyes, and mozzarella stick mummies. There are lots of Halloween-inspired healthy snacks you can fill up on before going trick-or-treating.\n\nA few more tips\n