5 Candy Alternatives That Will Keep Trick-or-Treaters Smiling

Treat Trick-or-Treaters to a Healthy Treat This Season

The fall season brings an amazing amount of fun activities for you and your family. From the excitement of Halloween, to school fall festivals, kids and parents alike look forward to the cool weather and family memories. Unfortunately, Halloween and fall festivals can also do a number on your child’s teeth. Hard candies, sweet treats and sugary snacks can be cavities waiting to happen. Handing out Halloween candy doesn’t mean you have to hand out oral health disasters. There are a number of healthy alternatives to the candy bars and licorice- some that trick-or-treaters might even enjoy more than the sugar rush. The days of handing out apple slices and pennies to avoid contributing to tooth destruction are gone! Take a look at some of these creative trick-or-treat alternatives that will leave all the little ghosts and ghouls smiling throughout the year.

Applesauce Pouches                                                                                     

Applesauce is still a sweet treat, and not nearly as hard on the teeth. Not only that, they’re portable, affordable and a great way to avoid the mess of some other treats. You can get a pack of 48 pouches for about 35 dollars on Amazon, which is enough to give all the trick-or-treaters something healthy to smile about.

Mini LaraBars

Larabars are gluten free, vegan, kosher and only have about 8-11 grams of sugar per bar. They also come in mini form, making them perfect to hand out on Halloween. The great thing about these treats is that the kids won’t even know they’re healthy! LaraBars have flavors such as cherry pie, apple pie and cashew cookie and are just as delicious as the other mini candy bars that will be weighing down their bag. If you can’t find LaraBars, or they’re a little too pricey for you, granola bars of any kind will be a better choice than chocolate.

Vegan Rice Crispy Treats

Rice crispy treats are a delicious sweet treat for trick-or-treaters, but you don’t have to use all the sugary marshmallow to make them amazing. There are a number of recipes you can follow which swap out a few classic ingredients for something a little healthier in order to create the perfect Halloween snack. By using brown rice syrup instead of marshmallow, brown rice crisps instead of white rice and coconut oil instead of butter- you can make delicious, healthy treats that many claim are better than the original. Check out one the recipes here. 

Sugar Free Gum

While sugar free gum may not be the most exciting item in your child’s bag, it’s still a quality alternative to all the junk they’ll be getting. You can get tasty sugar free gum such as Dubble Bubble and throw a few pieces in along with other healthy treats. Parents will appreciate the lack of sugar, and the kids (especially those kids who love their chewing gum) will be happy with a full bag of “candy.”

Toys

If you want to skip the food items altogether, many parents have opted to hand out toys instead. There are a number of items you can get in bulk for cheap such as pencils, erasers, stickers, mini water guns, temporary tattoos, mini play dough, sidewalk chalk, bouncing balls, bubbles and more. The possibilities are endless and none of these things will land your child in the dentist’s chair. If you’re thinking of skipping the candy and handing out toys, head to your local dollar store to find amazing deals on bulk items.

There’s also the option of handing out pre-made veggie and fruit snacks, however this may only be a good idea if you’re close with the surrounding neighbors. Parents are often a little leery of pre-prepared snacks and the time and money you spent might simply end up in the trash. These days there really are dozens of candy alternatives that don’t skimp on the flavor. Do your own research to find what works best for you and your family, have fun with it, and get everyone involved. Keep in mind that most trick-or-treaters will be over-flowing with the sugary stuff- so its good practice as a parent and oral health advocate to provide something that will keep their smiles healthy throughout the year.

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George A. Malkemus, DDS

Dentist in Rohnert Park
2 Padre Parkway Suite #200
Rohnert Park, CA 94928

MalkemusDDS.com Phone: (707) 585-8595

Dental Treatment for Patients on Blood Thinner

Blood thinners do not affect most dental procedures.  However, blood thinners can have an effect on blood clotting during dental surgery.  Depending on the medication, the dosage and the extent of dental surgery, bleeding can be a concern.  The low level of aspirin use for blood thinning is rarely a concern.  However, stopping aspirin use the day before dental surgery is usually recommended. 

Warfarin use presents the most common potential bleeding problems that dentists encounter.  Stopping coumarin medication prior to dental treatment is controversial.  Since it takes 48 to 72 hours for warfarin to be effective, it must be stopped 2-3 days before treatment, which puts the patient at risk for serious blood clotting complications.   So the risk-benefit has to be determined, that is, uncontrolled bleeding verses blood clot formation in the vessels.

Warfarin should not be stopped for most dental procedures including most extractions and implant placements.  But with any dental surgery, a consultation with the patient’s physician and a recent INR blood test should be reviewed.  Usually an INR up to 2.5 is acceptable and safe for dental surgery, thus coumarin does not need to be stopped or lowered.  With a common sense approach, I ask my patients if they clot, that is, the bleeding stops, in a reasonable amount of time with direct pressure on a skin cut.  During dental surgery, treatment can be done to enhance clotting, such as, the use of clotting agents, stitches, bone grafts and membranes.  Bone grafts and membranes preserve bone in an extraction site as well as reduce bleeding.

Last year I saw a dental phobic 57-year–old patient Todd, who was taking warfarin for deep venous thrombosis from poor circulation in his lower legs and thighs.  He was in severe pain from a split lower left molar and needed an extraction.  After consulting with his physician and determining his INR was 2.2, Todd continued his normal warfarin regime.  With conscious sedation, his tooth was removed and a bone graft and membrane were placed with no bleeding complications.  He was comfortable throughout the procedure with no memory of the event.  Eight weeks later, a root replacement titanium implant was placed under conscious sedation with him continuing his warfarin use.  Just as during his first treatment, Todd had no bleeding problems and happily had no memory of the implant procedure.   4 months later, an implant crown was fabricated and placed with the same great results.

While a risk-benefit assessment, bleeding verses clotting, must be made for each patient, dentist can perform most dental treatments safely for patients taking warfarin without the need for stopping warfarin therapy.     

Enjoy Life and Keep Smiling!

George Malkemus has had a Family and Cosmetic Dental Practice in Rohnert Park for over 27 years at 2 Padre Parkway, Suite 200. Call 585-8595, or email info@ malkemusdds.com.  Visit Dr. Malkemus’ Web site at http://www.malkemusdds.com