Did you know that some dentists believe that more teeth are destroyed Easter morning than at any other holiday except Halloween? To address the problem, try putting together a tooth-friendly Easter basket this year.
Americans spend more than $1.5 billion on Easter candy each year, second only to the $1.77 billion spent on Halloween, according to the National Confectioners Association. Americans each year eat the equivalent of 25 pounds of candy per person, plus an additional 2 pounds of gum each.
We all love candy and it's not feasible to recommend that we not give children some candy on the holidays, but plan on making Easter more fun and healthy this year by giving children a tooth-friendly Easter Basket.
You can do this by substituting candy with stickers, stuffed animals, pocket-sized games, coloring books, crayons, books, comic books, magazines, videos, and video games or fun clothing. Sugar-free gummy bears, gum and lollipops also are fun and healthy.
You can also include children's toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss and even a tooth trinket. Visit http://www.toothfairytrinkets.com for some great gift ideas. Other good ideas are key chains, baseball cards, flavored lip balm, colorful bandages, flower or vegetable seed packets, sidewalk chalk, sunglasses and colored shoelaces or building blocks.
Don't forget that brushing immediately after eating candy or any food is still the best way to avoid cavities. Parents can help by reducing or completely eliminating hard candy that children suck on or let melt in their mouths.
