During the Halloween season, many of us eat foods we don't eat at other times of the year. While these foods can taste great, we need to think about how they may affect the health of our teeth.

Some of these foods are treats because they are both tasty and good for the health of our teeth. However, others are considered more of a trick than a treat because while they look tempting, they can cause problems for our dental health. Here are just a few examples of seasonal treats and how they affect your teeth.

1. Candy



Halloween is everyone's favorite time of year to binge on Halloween candy. While a few pieces here and there can be okay, significantly increasing your candy intake can have a negative impact on your dental health.

When you eat candy that contains sugar, harmful bacteria in your mouth will try to eat that sugar. As a result of eating sugar, the bacteria create acids. These acids can cause cavities to form in your teeth, which can weaken your teeth and cause you pain.

If you minimize your sugar intake, your teeth can take care of themselves. Your saliva adds new minerals to your teeth to reverse the effects of acid damage. However, the more candy you eat, the harder it is for your teeth to keep up with protecting themselves - and that's when cavities and decay appear.

2. Pumpkin

Pumpkin can actually be a treat for your teeth because it contains healthy minerals that strengthen them. Pumpkin is high in zinc, which can improve the health of your gums and teeth. In fact, being low in zinc weakens your teeth and other bones in your body.

Pumpkin is also high in vitamin A and vitamin C, which protect your immune system from diseases, including oral infections. And it contains magnesium, which can help strengthen tooth enamel.

Foods like pumpkin soup can be delicious and nutritious. But be careful about eating too many pumpkin treats like pumpkin cookies, muffins and bread - they often contain a lot of sugar.

3. Pumpkin-Flavored Drinks

While pumpkin itself can boost your dental health, pumpkin-flavored drinks trick us by appearing healthy when they're not. They typically contain a lot of sugar (pumpkin spice lattes have around 12 teaspoons of sugar), which can lead to cavities and decay. Plus, pumpkin-flavored drinks can stain and discolor your teeth.

Keep in mind that pumpkin-themed drinks may not even contain pumpkin. For example, pumpkin spice-flavored drinks feature spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. If a pumpkin-flavored drink does contain pumpkin, the health benefits of the pumpkin are swallowed by the other sugary ingredients. So while pumpkin-flavored drinks can be tasty treats, they shouldn't be viewed as healthy drink choices.

4. Donuts

Donuts are many people's treat of choice during the Halloween season. Many people even eat donuts for breakfast. But this really isn't a good idea. Eating a sugary donut first thing in the morning floods your teeth and mouth in sugar.

The American Heart Association recommends that women eat no more than 25 grams of sugar a day and men eat no more than 36 grams of sugar a day. One glazed donut contains 10 grams of sugar, which is almost half of your daily sugar allotment if you're a woman.

Halloween involves all kinds of tempting foods that you don't eat as often as other times during the year. But while these foods seem like delicious treats, they quickly turn into tricks by slyly damaging your teeth, mouth and gums.

An occasional Halloween treat is okay, but eating too many Halloween treats can damage your dental health. Protect your teeth from damage by getting a thorough cleaning by dental professionals. Call New England Dental Health Services PC today to set an appointment.