Dentist urges parents to keep Halloween safe
Oct. 24—When it comes to Halloween, most of us can recall the excitement of dressing up in costumes, telling ghost stories, or just trying to scare each other, but the best part was the trick-or-treating.
Even though Halloween is a fun time, parents may be concerned about all the candy their children will receive.
Dr. Britt McCarty, a pediatric dentist with McCarty Children's Dentistry, says there are some things parents can do to take care of their kids' teeth.
"The first thing is to try and watch the types of candy kids are eating — sticky candies, like gummies, caramels, and taffy they tend to stick to the teeth more than soft candies," McCarty said. "Things that stick and sit on the teeth can do a lot more damage, because sugar attaches to the tooth's surface.
"Another thing is the sour candies. The sweet with the sour actually causes more damage to the children's teeth. Excess use of acidic candy can wear on the enamel causing cavities in the future."
According to McCarty, parents should also monitor the amount and frequency of how much candy they are eating.
"It's better to eat the candy after mealtimes because after we eat we have more saliva flow in our mouth generated and saliva is a natural cleanser," McCarty said. "Where you run into trouble is when kids want to eat on it all day long, because it's usually stashed in their room."
McCarty says important things for parents to remember are to make sure their children are brushing their teeth, twice a day, or after sugary treats and drinks, and keeping regular visits with their dentist.
According to the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, children should have their first check up around 12 months of age, usually after the first tooth comes in.
Spooky activities abound this week
Ghouls, goblins, superheroes and more will take to the streets this week as a multitude of Halloween events take place throughout the town.
The festivities are set to kick off Tuesday, Oct. 25, as families and children trick-or-treat in downtown Meridian Candy Crawl from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
On Wednesday, Uptown Meridian's Halloween Fest will offer crafts, candy and more for children 12 and under from 4-6 p.m.
Meridian Community College's annual Candy Cruise will follow on Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the MCC track.
The Meridian Police Departments third annual Trunk or Treat at the police station is also set for Thursday. Officers will be standing by with trunk loads of candy from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., or until the candy is gone.
Heading into the weekend, families will take break from Halloween festivities and set their sights on Christmas as the Lauderdale County Agri-Center hosts the Holiday Extravaganza Gift Show. The show, which will run from 9a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature more than 100 vendors offering a one-stop-shop for those looking to get their Christmas shopping done early.
The week of festivities will come to a close on Monday, Oct. 31 as children don their costumes and grab their plastic pumpkins one more time for the City of Meridian's trick-or-treat. Trick-or-treating will be allowed from 6-8 p.m., with the event open to children 13 and under.
For safety, those 10 and older will not be permitted to wear masks.
Families and children not comfortable with door-to-door trick-or-treat are invited to celebrate Halloween night at Mississippi Highway Patrol's trunk-or-treat event. The free event, which will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., will be held at the Troop H headquarters at 910 Hwy. 11/80.
