Earlier in the year, we carried out research which show that a scary 41% of parents don’t ensure that their children's teeth are brushed twice a day. This is particularly concerning at this time of year, as it’s really important to protect your young ones from the Halloween treats they inevitably collect.

Halloween traditionally sees children parade around the neighbourhood in fancy dress, collecting sweet treats as they go. But, what seems like harmless fun could be risking your child’s health in the long run.

Of course, parents don’t want their little ones to miss out, and it’s great that many will stand by and do their best to regulate how much sugar their child consumes. It’s common for homes to offer ‘snack-sized’ varieties of sweets for trick or treaters that visit. But, while you may think that the smaller variations of sweets are healthier, some of the most popular treats could be the worst for your child’s teeth. 

You can’t always stop your children from indulging in their favourite sweets, let’s face it – we all love a sweet treat, especially when we get them for free on Halloween. However, you can do your best to protect yours and your children’s teeth by brushing every day, twice a day.

Whilst you may not think that second two-minute brush will make a difference, the signs of poor oral health in younger years are already starting to show. 9.7% of the parents we asked with children aged 0-8 confessed that their child already had at least one filling.

Tooth decay is caused by a combination of food debris and saliva, which creates a layer of plaque. When your children don’t get rid of the build-up of plaque by brushing their teeth, they are at risk. This is because the carbohydrates in the sweets and sugary drinks help the bacteria in plaque to thrive. The bacteria produce an acid that over time breaks down the protective layer of your tooth, leading to chilling cavities.

If you’ve not already, download our The Plaque Attack app, available for free on Apple and Android, to teach them how to fight off plaque in the most fun way! To find out more, visit our The Plaque Attack page.

In a recent conversation with Barry Cockcroft, former Chief Dental Officer of England and mydentist non-exec director, he said: "All children will eat some sweets at some time but it’s important that the time when sugar is in contact with the teeth is reduced as much as possible. It is better that sweet treats are consumed around meal times and not constantly during the day. Brushing the teeth twice a day, and particularly last thing at night, is also important, a good practice can seriously improve oral health."