This marks the 6th year of National Dental Hygiene Month, a program initiated by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association to increase public knowledge on oral health and good hygiene practices at home.

Thus, I’d like to take time to also focus on the nutritional aspects of daily life and the ways in which we can keep the mouth and your body healthy. This means making smart choices throughout the day especially as the holiday season approaches.

Halloween is a season packed with bags of free candy for the trick-or-treaters, as well as drawers full of candy at home for the whole family to pick on. It’s definitely a challenge to stay Mouth Healthy during Halloween and throughout the year. So I’ve provided a few ways to help you with the struggles of having a sweet tooth.

Choose candy carefully by avoiding hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth a long time.

While snacking often throughout the day on these candies, the length of time sugary food sits in your mouth plays in the process of tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free snack, the increased contact time with sugar can lead to plaque accumulation and then cavities.

I always tell my patients to avoid sticky or chewy candies like taffy or peanut brittle that get stuck in the pits and fissures (grooves) of our teeth. Healthier options are soft chocolates that wash away with drinking water afterwards.

Time it right when eating Halloween candy and other foods heavy in sugar content. This means eat them with meals or shortly afterwards. Our salivary flow increases during mealtime and helps balance the acids produced by the bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.

Drink more water this time of season and throughout the year. As the heat escapes, so does our daily water intake. We’re fortunate to live in a fluoridated community in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and St. James Parishes. Research and literature by the ADA and CDC have proven fluoridated communities have decreased the prevalence of dental disease.

But then again, this means if you’re drinking bottled water not tap, seek one that is also fluoridated.

Maintain a healthy diet and avoid sugary drinks throughout the season. Your body is a complex system. The high fructose and highly fatty foods can affect your metabolism (the mechanism your body uses to breakdown food into energy).

Clinical research displays a direct relationship between your overall health with the health of your teeth and gums. Avoid sodas, sport drinks and energy drinks as well. These all contain high sugar content and are very acidic, leading to increased tooth decay and also acid erosion of our enamel.

Resources for this editorial come from www.MouthHealthy.org, for further reading on ADA seal products, A-Z dental topics, Dental Care concerns of all ages, and Nutrition.

Please visit us in person if you have detailed questions or dental concerns at Owens Family Dental Care in RedChurch Business Center in Destrehan or on our website at DestrehanDental.com.

Reid M. Owens is a dentist with Owens Family Dental Care. He can be reached at 985-764-1615.