From Trick-or-treating, harvest festivals, and school parties, Halloween events revolve around candy most of the time. It seems almost impossible to keep your kids away from candy bowl during the holiday season. Limiting candy consumption will help prevent tummy aches and tooth decay that could possibly ruin your kids Halloween fun.

What Halloween candy is better than others? Any candy that contains sugar will feed the plaque that leads to tooth decay. Better to ask which Halloween candy is the worst for your teeth?

• Hard Candy – You would think sticky candy would be the most harmful. However, hard candy like lollipops and peppermints can cause the most dental damage. Hard candy lingers in your mouth longer, putting your teeth at risk for prolonged acid attacks, which leads to tooth decay.
• Sticky Candy – These soft treats remain on teeth and stick around long after the candy has been enjoyed.
• Chewing Gum – One of the safest treats to enjoy is gum. Gum stimulates extra saliva production, which naturally rinses the mouth and keeps plaque bacteria away. If you can, the best option is sugar-free all-natural gum.

Things that you might think about having for your kids at Halloween instead of candy.

• Fruits and veggies – Many grocery stores sell fruit and vegetables in individually wrapped snack packages. Snacks of baby carrots and apple slices will encourage healthy habits during the holidays.
• Dairy products – Think about checking out the dairy aisle at the grocery stores. Individual tubes of cheese sticks or organic chocolate milk will be a favorite for your ghost and goblins.
• Monster mouth – You can make monster mouths from apples and peanut or almond butter topped with chopped peanuts or almond slivers to look like crooked teeth poking out.
• Vegetable skeleton – A veggie platter looking like a skeleton is a big hit. Use celery stalks and carrot sticks for the legs and arms, cucumber slices for the spine, and bell pepper slices for the rib cage. Cauliflower florets create a skull on top with broccoli for eye sockets and bell pepper strips for the mouth. For the finishing touch, add a carved out small pumpkin on the side filled with a healthy dip.
• Orange pumpkins and banana ghost – Simply peel orange or clementine and add a small slice of celery on top for the pumpkin stalk. Peel and slice bananas in half and use three chocolate chips to create two eyes and mouth for a spooky ghost.

Halloween is a great time to teach about good healthy habits that you can enjoy during the season of revolving candy parties. Whether you are limiting candy consumption in your own home or sharing nutritious treats with your friends and neighbors, you can help develop healthy habits while still enjoying the fun of the holiday. Don’t forget to visit your dentist for your yearly teeth checkup as well.