A bright white smile is mandatory in today’s society, and Halloween is no exception. You might eat candy and have fun celebrating Halloween, but you still need to protect your teeth. Candy causes discoloration, cavities, tooth decay, cracks, and broken teeth. Below you will find some recommendations from Monroe orthodontist Dr. Jacquie Smiles on how to keep your teeth healthy and maintaining your white smile during the Halloween. 

The following tips from Dr. Jacquie Smiles will help our patients in Monroe, NY maintain their white smile during Halloween.

• Try to Avoid Colorful Candy– Halloween candy comes in all different types of textures and colors. Try avoiding candy that is red, orange, green or black since these colors cause the most discoloration.
• Brush after Eating Candy– Chocolate is one candy that can temporarily discolor and stain your teeth. Brush your teeth after eating chocolate to remove any residue immediately to avoid it from setting into the enamel.
• Use a Straw– Halloween isn’t just about candy. Some of the best and most colorful drinks for children involving food coloring and colorful cocktails for adults are created for this fun holiday. These colored tasty treats and drinks are responsible for turning people’s teeth a variety of colors like orange and green. A helpful tip that allows you to enjoy that delicious drink but protect your teeth is using a straw.
• Use a Whitening Pen– Whitening pens like Dr. Smiles Pop and Prime pen are a beneficial tool to carry with you and use on-the-go. You can hide it in a pocket, backpack, or purse. Dr. Smiles whitening pen only takes 15 seconds to apply and dry. You don’t even need to rinse. Your teeth will be noticeably whiter, and the discoloration from most candy and drinks will disappear.
• Emergency Rinse– After eating sweets that discolor your teeth, you need to take care of the situation as quickly as possible to avoid the stains from setting into tooth enamel if you don’t have a toothbrush or teeth whitening pen with you then use tap water. Rinse with tap water and swish around in your mouth for about two minutes. The water will help remove some of the discolorations until you get home to brush, floss and rinse with mouthwash.
• Don’t Bite into Treats– Cupcakes with colorful icing are favorite sweet treats eaten on Halloween. The cupcake is usually decorated with colorful icing that contains food coloring. Biting into a cupcake with colorful icing will discolor your front teeth quickly. You can prevent this from happening by using a fork or spoon to eat the cupcake to avoid the icing from getting into contact with your front teeth. Keep in mind your mouth and tongue will still get discolored but it won’t be as noticeable as your front teeth.
• Get Professional Whitening– After Halloween make an appointment to get professional in-office whitening treatment. Sometimes the discoloration can set in so deeply that at-home whitening tools such as toothpaste and mouthwash will not remove the stain. In this case, only a professional whitening treatment will solve the issue.

Have fun on Halloween but beware of the food and drinks that can discolor your teeth. You can maintain your white smile by following the tips mentioned above. Do you need professional teeth whitening in Monroe, NY? Please contact the office of Dr. Jacquie Smiles to schedule your appointment located near 70 Gilbert Street, Suite 202 Monroe, NY 10950 us today for further assistance! You may also call us at (845) 782-4288.