Dentist-Approved Halloween

We were recently reminded of this on the news and we couldn't be bigger supporters of giving non-food items to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

While *technically* this is for children with food allergies, we, as dentists, are always going to be concerned about consumption of sugary snacks on kids' teeth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dental cavities is the Number 1 most common chronic disease in children aged 5-17.

While sugar certainly isn't the only cause of cavities, it's a pretty well-known one. And if there's anything we can do to prevent problems in your teeth, then we'll of course be on board.

So, to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project, simply paint a pumpkin teal and set it on your porch for Halloween OR print out the teal pumpkin image from this website and tape it to your door.

And when the time comes, distribute non-food items to your trick-or-treaters.

Here is a list of alternatives that you can give out instead of candy:

* stickers

* pencils

* erasers

* glow sticks

* playing cards

* pokemon cards

* dollar store toys

* halloween-themed toys (I received a glow-in-the-dark spider once and an orange ring with a spider. Apparently, the adults at the time really liked spiders...)

* halloween bookmarks

* vampire teeth

* temporary tattoos

* bubble blowers

* bouncy balls (which parents might not actually endorse, however, lol)

* etc

Let's all do our part to prevent dental cavities today!