Candy and COVID: I'm a mom and a dentist. Yes, my kids are trick-or-treating this year.

In our household at Halloween, normal concerns for safety while trick-or-treating have always gone hand in hand with considerations for keeping healthy mouths. That’s what my kids get with having a mom who’s a dentist. But for our second Halloween dealing with COVID-19, how to mitigate risk from the virus is another item still high on the agenda.

Let me share with you what I keep telling myself: This doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The same principles for managing physical and mouth safety can help us cope with COVID-19 while still having a happy Halloween.

It’s up to parents to make sure the spookiness of the holiday is more in the imagination than any actual mishap. While continuing to deal with this virus is not what we hoped for, the good news is that most children continue to have less severe cases than adults – sometimes, they have no symptoms or lingering health effects at all. The temptation can still be to hole up at home and avoid any risk altogether. With oral health, that would look like not letting kids have candy, ever, let alone allowing them to participate in a holiday that’s all about collecting candy!

But beyond the downside of that being nearly a sure fire recipe to drive any parents bonkers before too long, there’s the very real possibility that overreacting to fear, whether that’s of catching COVID or developing cavities, can have an effect on children’s social, emotional and mental well-being. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a great resource kit for parents in this regard.

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Just as I would never recommend parents forbid their children from sweet treats, avoiding an outdoor public holiday seems too stringent as well. Here are some ideas for managing the potential risks in Year 2 of candy and COVID.

Moderation and pragmatism

The normal principles of accompanying children as they go door to door or, with teenagers, knowing where, when and with whom, can be expanded for COVID-19 management. Parents can choose another family to do the rounds. Have a conversation in advance about socially distancing from other groups. This way, kids can still see friends but in a way that’s manageable for trying to prevent virus transmission.

Consider adding another adult or two to help the littlest ones keep close and not run up to other kids (or out into the street). If there is high virus transmission in your area, think about getting personal protective equipment masks that incorporate into the theme of your child’s costume. There are so many cute choices!

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The key is moderation and pragmatism. I will let my kids trick-or-treat this year just as I let them eat candy within certain guidelines.

In our family, the kids can enjoy candy for the first week, up to two pieces a day. After we count up the candy for the week, we then donate the rest to Halloween Candy Buy Back, which benefits our hardworking military. My kids get to enjoy their loot, practice generosity, participate in a great cause and avoid overeating candy.

Preventing cavities, getting care

And I don’t insist that they brush their teeth after every piece, either. My simple hack is to encourage my kids to chew sugar-free gum after eating candy. Gum packages with the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance means that the product has been evaluated for efficacy by an independent body of scientific experts, and that it does one or more of the following: “reducing plaque acids, promoting remineralization of tooth enamel, reducing cavities and/or reducing gingivitis,” according to the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. 

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I'm a member of the American Dental Association. So I know that by activating and increasing the flow of saliva, chewing sugarless gum helps reduce plaque acid, strengthen teeth and reduce tooth decay. Chewing sugar-free gum even shows similar benefits to cavity prevention as brushing with fluoride toothpaste, research conducted by the dentistry faculty at King's College London found. This makes it even weirder that it’s stocked in the candy aisle, but makes it more convenient for grabbing a pack when purchasing candy for trick-or-treaters.

Children need all the help they can get when it comes to oral health. The American Association of Pediatric Dentists recommends that children receive oral exams and a teeth cleaning every six month, but a third of parents say COVID-19 has made it harder to get preventative care for their children, according to a national poll conducted by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan this year.

The same poll found that, when parents tried to schedule a dental appointment for their kids, 24% faced a COVID-related delay and 7% were unable to get an appointment at all. 

At the end of the day, risk tolerance varies by person. Following science-supported principles can help everyone have a happy and healthy Halloween – even children of dentists.

Melissa Weintraub is a mother and dentist who blogs at The Mommyhood Chronicles. She is a member of the American Dental Association.