Two Braces Friendly Treats for Halloween

If you have visited any of the fun pumpkin patches near Long Beach, you’ll see all the family activities and be reminded of the fun Halloween is with all the costumes, trick-or-treating and endless treats, all making this time of year a fun time.

Halloween can also be a tricky time if you have braces and while there are certain foods you should stay away, there are some types of candies you can eat on Halloween, that won’t damage your braces. Here are two Halloween braces-friendly treats you can eat on Halloween night.

1. Brownies:
A sweet treat that is braces-friendly is brownies. Brownies or other soft pastries won’t damage your braces and are an enjoyable treat on Halloween. Softness is key because your wires and brackets won’t be damaged. Be sure to brush up after eating treats and stick to your oral hygiene routine.

2. Chocolate:
Sugary treats affect our teeth in different ways, especially when it comes to orthodontic treatment and the overall health of our teeth and our oral hygiene routine. Chocolate that has no nuts, is not hard or has additional sticky stuff is the best route to go on Halloween night (and beyond). Chocolate is so delicious, and one of the most popular types of candy given out on Halloween. Chocolate washes off your teeth easier than any other type of candy. Dark chocolate also has less sugar than regular milk chocolate.

Minimize sugary treats and foods and stick to oral hygiene routines. Check out more information here on what to do if a loose or poking archwires happen or brackets become loose. It’s important to regularly check your braces for bent or lose wires and brackets.

Open Wide and Say BOOO!

Halloween is around the corner and kids of all ages will be tempted to indulge in sugary treats. Here are some timely ‘tricks’ to safely enjoy those tempting ‘treats.’

Say ‘boo’ to sticky and chewy snacks such as caramel, gummies, taffy, jelly beans, bubblegum and popcorn.  Even if you don’t wear braces, aligners or other orthodontic “appliances,” be careful with these types of treats to prevent damage to your teeth.

While some candy is permissible, such as soft chocolates, peanut butter cups or other melt-in-your-mouth varieties, please remember to enjoy these goodies in moderation during the Halloween season and throughout the year.  Find orthodontic-friendly alternatives at https://www.aaoinfo.org/1/recipes

It’s also important to be especially vigilant about brushing and flossing during any holiday or celebration when you’ll be eating more sweets than usual.

Halloween falls during National Orthodontic Health Month and the American Association of Orthodontists and I encourage everyone to have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Helpful Dental Tricks and Tips for a Happy Halloween

The Fall season is here, and it is an exciting time of year for many children as they prepare for Halloween festivities and trick or treating. Here are a few “tricks” and tips from the team at Pediatric Dental Specialists that may help protect your children’s oral health.

Inspecting Candy:
An adult should inspect the candy and discard any items that display the following: unusual appearance, tears/ holes in the wrappers, anything homemade should be discarded unless you know who personally gave it to them. For young children, discard any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys.

Moderation is Key:
After trick-or-treating, set a specific treat time with your child for when they can eat a treat. The best time to have a treat is following a meal such as lunch or dinner. Saliva production increases during and after a meal, and the extra saliva can help wash away sugars and clean the teeth. If your children are eating candy throughout the day they may be at increased risk for tooth decay.

Choose the Correct Candy:

Select candy that won’t be as harmful to teeth. Hard candies can chip or crack teeth. It is best to allow these treats to melt in the mouth. Avoid giving your children sticky candies as they tend to dislodge fillings and crowns and stay in the grooves of back teeth. Plain chocolate bars melt quickly, are softer, and the least harmful to teeth.

Good Oral Hygiene:

It’s important that your children brush their teeth twice daily for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste. Flossing is also recommended to help keep the sugar bugs away where the toothbrush can’t reach. Good oral hygiene will help keep your children’s mouth healthy.

Candy Buy Back:

Consider donating Halloween candy or else join us for our buy back. We want your Halloween candy and will pay you for it! We will give our patients $1 per pound of candy up to 50 pounds of candy. All candy donors will also be entered into a raffle to win a gift card. Come by the office from 11/1 to 11/7 to make the candy switch. Check our website for drop off dates.

4 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY SMILE THIS HALLOWEEN

Halloween and its accompanying candy can be a scary time for teeth. October is National Orthodontic Health Month, celebrated by orthodontists throughout the U.S.  The doctors at Pediatric Dental Specialists want to remind patients and the entire community that even though Halloween treats can play tricks on orthodontic treatment, there are a few quick tips to keep teeth safe from decay, and protect braces, orthodontic “appliances” during the Halloween season.

1. AVOID STICKY SITUATIONS WITH YOUR BRACES

Stay away from hard, sticky, crunchy or chewy candy and snacks. These include hard or chewy candies, caramel, licorice, taffy, bubblegum (even the sugarless kind) and jelly beans.

2. CAREFUL WITH CRUNCHINESS
Patients want to steer away from hard-shelled peanut candies, nuts or nut-filled candies, taco chips and popcorn (especially unpopped kernels). And whether in orthodontic treatment or not, Dr. Planells says no one should ever chew ice.

3. NOT ALL HALLOWEEN CANDY IS OFF LIMITS.
Good alternatives include soft chocolates, peanut butter cups or other melt-in-your-mouth varieties. The American Association of Orthodontists even offers orthodontic-friendly recipes for Halloween on the website FamilyCorner.com

4. DON'T FORGET TO BRUSH AND FLOSS
Brushing and flossing are more important than ever during the Halloween season, when teeth may receive more exposure to sweets that can cause cavities. Orthodontic patients should be especially conscientious about brushing and flossing after consuming sugary or starchy foods.

It is possible to enjoy some traditional candies at Halloween without causing problems with braces. Everyone really wants to have fun on this holiday, and we encourage patients to enjoy treats that are acceptable, rather than feel that they are missing out.   It’s important to remember that when patients’ orthodontic treatment is complete, and they see their new smiles in the mirror, they will know all of their efforts now were worthwhile.

BOO! A few Ghoulish Halloween Recipes!

October is National Orthodontic Health Month. In our office we are celebrating Halloween by sponsoring a Candy Buy-Back Program for existing patients whereby patients can bring in their Halloween candy on November 2, 2009 and receive $1.00 for each pound of candy they turn in.

In addition we are holding a Coloring Contest, whereby patients of the practice are encouraged to submit a colored National Orthodontic Health Month Coloring Sheet. The winner will be selected on November 2, 2009 and receive a $20 gift certificate.

Patients with braces are encouraged to avoid treats that "Can Play Tricks on Your Braces." These include foods that are hard, sticky or chewy- like:

Caramel
Taffy
Popcorn
Hard Nuts
Hard Pretzels
Ice

Here are some Braces-Friendly Halloween Recipes provided by the American Association of Orthodontics. Enjoy Halloween fun with these howling-good treats that won’t trick your braces.

Scary Jigglers
ADAPTED FROM THE
KRAFT FOODS KITCHEN
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups boiling water
(Do not add cold water)
2 pkg. gelatin (any flavor, but we recommend Orange,
Grape or Lime for Halloween)
Halloween-shaped cookie cutters*

Directions:
Stir boiling water into gelatin in a large bowl 3 minutes until
completely dissolved. Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate
at least 3 hours or until firm (gelatin does not stick to finger
when touched).
Dip bottom of pan in warm water for about 15 seconds. Cut
into 24 decorative shapes using 2-inch cookie cutters, making
sure to cut all of the way through the gelatin to the bottom of
the pan. Remove from pan. Store in tightly covered container in
refrigerator.
DO NOT SWALLOW SCARY JIGGLERS WHOLE.
* If serving to small children, consider using smaller cookie cutters to
make bites more manageable.

Almond Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs
Cut this easy-to-assemble dough into ghost shapes for
Halloween. Decorate with Super Easy Ornamental Frosting.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg,
vanilla extract and almond extract flavorings.
Combine the dry ingredients in separate bowl. Next, add the
dry ingredients (by 1/2 cup measurements) to the butter/sugar
mixture. Mix with a mixer on medium speed. Chill the dough
for 2 - 3 hours or overnight, or “quick chill” in the freezer until
very firm, for about 30 - 45 minutes.
To Bake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the dough into fourths and
roll each section until it is about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thickness, and
using a 2 1/2 inch ghost-shaped cookie cutter, cut into desired
shape. Bake 7 - 9 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.

Super Easy Ornamental Frosting
Ingredients:
16 oz. powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1/3 cup of warm water

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and mix at medium speed until
smooth. Spread the frosting on each cutout. For spreading
consistency, thin icing by adding tablespoons of warm water.
Please note: it doesn’t take more than one or two tablespoons
to thin the icing.

GHOST EYES
Use a tube of chocolate cake decorator frosting, or small dabs of
chocolate frosting on a knifepoint, to make ghost eyes.

Halloween Parfait
Ingredients:
w 3 boxes instant vanilla pudding
(enough to make 12 one-half cup servings)
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring
One 9-ounce package plain chocolate wafers
6 cups milk
Chocolate syrup to taste
One 8-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

Directions:
Combine pudding mix and milk in large bowl as directed on
the package. Refrigerate until firm. Crush chocolate wafers into
crumbs, using a food processor, or put the wafers into a zip-lock
bag and crush with a rolling pin.
Combine red and yellow food coloring in a small bowl. Stir into
pudding thoroughly, until pudding is orange. Alternate layers of
pudding with layers of chocolate crumbs in a parfait cup or glass
for a total of three layers of pudding. Top each layer of crumbs
with chocolate syrup to taste before adding the next pudding
layer. Top each parfait with mandarin oranges and additional
chocolate wafer crumbs. Makes eight 8-ounce servings.

Have a happy and safe Halloween! From Pediatric Dental Specialists