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Are you one of those people who typically hordes their Halloween treats for months on end? Here is some surprising news, as it can be better for your dental health to eat all your sweets at once! Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean eating lots of sweets is good for you, but it is better for your teeth.

Whenever you eat something sweet, bacteria feed on the leftover sugars and starches, forming plaque and creating acid as a byproduct. Eventually, the acid weakens tooth enamel, creating cavities in teeth that gradually grow larger over time. The longer your teeth are exposed to sugars, the greater the damage, and therefore it is better to have one large indulgence than spreading your Halloween haul out over several weeks or months. Although eating lots of sweets all at once isn’t good for your overall health, it doesn’t really matter from an oral health perspective. The bacteria in your mouth will reach a threshold where they cannot work any harder to produce more acid.

An alternative approach is to eat only a select few of your favourite sweets and to donate the rest. Whichever approach you take, remember to brush and floss afterwards, but wait at least half an hour before cleaning your teeth so pH levels normalise and your tooth enamel begins to reharden.