Starting with Halloween, adults are just as guilty as kids when it comes to indulging in candy. Between Halloween and Valentine's Day, the sugary temptations keep coming—candy, cookies, and pies galore. Douglas Ng, DDS, of Nipomo Family Dentistry, shares helpful tips for keeping your teeth healthy during the sweetest season of the year.
PASO ROBLES, Calif., Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Starting with Halloween, adults are almost as bad as the kids when it comes to candy. The next few months, up to Valentine's Day, only get worse. As responsible parents, we put the kids' trick-or-treat candy out of their reach, saying, "I'll give you a little every day." Which, we do—but let's be honest. We raid the candy stash, too! A few weeks later, here come the holiday cookies and pies. Shortly after Thanksgiving Day, more candy shows up and stays around for weeks. Douglas Ng, DDS, with Nipomo Family Dentistry, offers some helpful tips.
It's not just cookies, pies, and candy. Festive adult drinks, sugary beverages for the kids, and even some brands of hot cocoa have sugar. Then there's the food, lots of it, even some with extra-sweet secret ingredients.
Here are some sneaky ways to enjoy holiday treats without anyone else knowing, and still have the bright smile and healthy teeth that keep your dentist happy.
- Enjoy the occasional chewy sticky caramel or gummies. Just don't chew. Dissolve a few pieces, one by one, in your mouth, and relish the flavor. Then, go rinse your mouth. Better yet, choose sweets with less sugar, such as dark chocolate, which is also rich in antioxidants. Chewy and hard candy can potentially chip a tooth.
- The Nipomo family dentist recommends having a pre-holiday discussion with the kids about ways they can be more aware of their sugar intake. Kids can fly under the sweet treats radar, overindulge, then go off to bed without brushing their teeth.
- Sip water along with sugary drinks. Eggnog, cider, champagne, and cocoa leave sugar and acids in your mouth. Enjoying a glass of champagne, along with sipping water, helps rinse away sugar and neutralize acidity to help protect tooth enamel.
- It's easy to overindulge during the holidays, but limiting sweets to dessert helps control the amount of sugar consumed. Saliva neutralizes acids, which helps protect enamel. Eating a meal produces more saliva, so a sweet dessert at the end of the meal is counterbalanced by acid-neutralizing saliva.
- Add more crunchy vegetables and fruits to your diet during the holidays. Carrots, celery, and apples produce more saliva. They also add fiber and extra vitamins that benefit general health, especially during the holidays when our eating habits can go a little off the rails.
"The holidays are a good time to develop the habit of carrying disposable toothbrushes for some extra oral care during holiday temptations," says the Nipomo family dentist. Brushing twice a day and flossing is still important, and adding an extra brushing helps keep sugar, acids, and extra food particles cleaned away.
The holidays can be stressful at times. Get plenty of rest and exercise to help offset any stress. Be mindful of grinding or clenching teeth. Headaches, tightness in the shoulders, and the jaw can contribute to clenching and grinding.
Schedule a post-holiday check-up and cleaning and set a healthy tone for the rest of the year.
Dr. Ng has been practicing family dentistry since 2008. He is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, and the Central Coast Dental Society. He and his staff support local schools and youth organizations. Dr. Ng supports the Southern California branch of Easter Seals and frequently travels overseas to provide dental care to underserved populations.
Nipomo Family Dentistry
195 N Thompson Ave., Suite #3
Nipomo, CA 93444
(805) 929-1888
Media Contact
Jacquelyn Iddings, Access Publishing, 8052269890, [email protected]
SOURCE Nipomo Family Dentistry
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