at Riverside Dental Group already scheduled. In the meantime, we understand the temptations that a sweet tooth combined with Halloween night can create.

Tons of Chocolate

How many pounds of chocolate do you imagine will be sold this week? Would you believe that in the United States, Halloween week marks an approximate purchase of 90 million pounds? To put this statistic in perspective, roughly 65 million pounds are sold during the week leading up to Easter. Only about 48 million pounds are purchased during Valentine’s week. The amount of chocolate purchased for Halloween (or any holiday) may be changing in the coming years, however. There is a current shortage of cocoa beans, and high prices are likely to make chocolate increasingly scarce.

Feeling Corny?

Shortage or no shortage, candy corn beats chocolate every year in terms of Halloween candy sales. About 20 million pounds of the extremely sweet orange, white, and yellow candy kernels are purchased every year. Another interesting fact: candy corn is also the most searched candy related term on Google. This may sound like cavities waiting to happen, and it’s true, candy, sugar, and carbohydrates all contribute to the need for fillings. However, the true villain of tooth decay is a bacteria called Streptococcus mutans. These germs metabolize all forms of sucrose into lactic acid, which softens tooth enamel and starts tooth decay on its way. Avoiding sugar and carbs, brushing teeth twice-a-day, and visiting Riverside Dental Group every six months will all help you avoid hearing the dreaded words, “You have a cavity.”

Visit your 92506 Dentists

Your Riverside dentists offer comprehensive dentistry under one roof. You can contact us by calling (951) 689-5031. We welcome patients from Riverside and all neighboring communities.