Halloween

Tips for a Socially Distanced Halloween

October 12th, 2020

We here at Northwest Children's Dentistry always encourage our families to try to reduce sugar intake during the Halloween season. Although normally we would stress daily candy limits and other dental precautions, COVID-19 has interrupted many normal traditions. Some families are looking for a way to celebrate the season without normal trick-or-treating and other large gatherings.

If you fall into this category, here are some suggestions to keep your kids in the Halloween spirit while keeping your exposure risk to a minimum.



  • Carve Jack-O'-Lanterns. Some traditions already lend themselves to doing alone at home. Go all out with your pumpkin carving this year.
  • Dress up in Costume: Kids can still dress up this year. You can keep the costumes at home or you may be able to set up a small "Halloween" parade with your immediate neighbors where the kids show off their costumes without coming into contact with each other.
  • Celebrate with your Pod. If your child has a learning pod or other childcare situation, you can have a small gathering with the same people they see everyday. Just make sure they wear face coverings with their costume mask if they normally do when around the group.
  • Throw a Family Halloween Party. This can be an simple as having a movie night with special treats or recreating the trick-or-treat experience inside your home as a treasure hunt.
  • Do a Halloween Decoration Drive. Halloween decorations have become almost as popular as Christmas ones. Find a neighborhood with a lot of spooky houses and do a drive-by at night to see them in all their creepy glory.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to keep your child's smile healthy.  If you have any questions for our office, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

Smile-Friendly Treats for Halloween

October 3rd, 2019

Halloween is just around the corner, and for many children, that means lots of candy. Although we agree it's okay to indulge in some sweets for the season, we also like to promote other fun, non-sugary treats that will still make even the littlest ghost smile.



Here's our recommend list of things you can hand out to trick or treaters:

  • Little jars of clay: Big box stores now sell these fun bits of fun that kids can mold long after Halloween is over.
  • Stickers: You can buy these in bulk and hand 'em out by the handful.
  • Patterned bandages: Stores now sell all sorts of fun bandages with colorful characters that kids love wearing.
  • Temporary Tattoos: Give them some ink to show off to their folks.
  • Bouncy Balls: Pretty much every kid loves to bounce these off sidewalks and see how far they will fly.
  • Coins: Get rid of your loose change and give them something they can save for a rainy day.
  • Glow Sticks: They can snap one of these for safety as they walk from house to house.
  • Pencils: Useful for art, school, or just about any occasions, pencils are the cheap treat that keeps on giving.

Whatever you decide to give out at your door, we hope you have a safe and fun Halloween!

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to keep your child's smile healthy.  If you have any questions for our office, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

Have a cavity-free Halloween!

October 11th, 2018

It's that time of year again: pumpkins, costumes, and candy.  Halloween!  We want our patients and their families to enjoy the holiday, so we've provided some tips on how to have a cavity-free Halloween.

  • Don't eat all your Halloween candy at once.  Some kids bring home bags of sugary goodies after a night of trick or treating.  Instead of letting them consume it quickly over a day or two, spread their consumption over the month of November, maybe two of three pieces at most per day.
  • Keep up your normal dental routine.  Families get busy over the holidays, but don't get too busy that you forget to brush twice a day and floss once.  You can do an extra brushing if your kids eat a lot of sugars at a Halloween party.
  • Hand out non-candy treats.  Kids love non-candy based trick or treat items such as stickers, play-doh, or dollar store items.  See if you can limit how much candy gets passed around your neighborhood.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to take care of all your children's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

Halloween Tips from Your Pediatric Dentist

October 19th, 2017

Halloween is almost upon us!  Between costumes, parties, and candy, it's a holiday made for family.  As your local Tucson pediatric dentist, we want to make sure your child makes it through Halloween without any dental issues.  Here are some tips in keeping healthy while enjoying this spooky season:

  • Limit sugar intake for your children.  Processed sugar can lead to cavities on your child's teeth.  So go ahead and have fun trick or treating, but spread out the candy consumption.  Let your child eat a few pieces of candy a day, for example, rather than devouring the entire bag in one sitting.
  • Keep up your flossing and brushing routine.  During the holidays, it's more important than ever that your child brush and floss to keep their teeth healthy from an uptick in sugary treats.
  • Consider passing out non-sugary treats at your house.  You can help your community's kids by considering these fun items instead of candy at trick or treat time.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to take care of all your children's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

The Teal Pumpkin Project and Your Child's Dental Health

October 20th, 2016

Last year, we posted a popular blog about on non-food treats you can hand out for Halloween.  We encourage handing out stickers, play-doh and other fun goodies to avoid overloading your child with sugar, which can cause tooth decay.  As it turns out, there's another great reason to hand out non-food items at Halloween: children with food allergies.

Halloween can be a difficult time for kids with food allergies.  Some of the more common allergies, such as nuts, can be life-threatening for children.  These children want to participate in Halloween, but with a severe allergy, kids can't even eat food that has been processed in a factory that also handles nuts.  This can make Halloween stressful for these kids.

The Teal Pumpkin Project was created to raise awareness of this issue.  If you decide to hand out non-food treats this Halloween, simply place a teal pumpkin outside your door so that kids with food allergies know you are a safe place to get treats.  You can still hand out candy, but if you have other non-food options at hand, you can help include kids with food allergies into the festivities of Halloween.

As your child's pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to take care of all your children's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

Dr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are doctor spouses who have been working as kids dentists in Tucson for years.  They have deep ties to Tucson, as well as the surrounding Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and other areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children. If you’re looking for a general dentist for kids in Tucson, contact us today at (520) 544-8522.

Non-Food Treats to Hand out for Halloween

October 8th, 2015

With the arrival of October, it's officially the time of year for autumn festivities, and there's few events that kids look forward to more than Halloween.  Halloween means candy, and we hope you indulge in a healthy amount, but in case you were looking for some non-candy treat ideas, we've assembled the following list just for you.  Many of these items can be found at dollar stores sold in packs of 6-12.

  • Stickers
  • Nickels, dimes or quarters
  • Band-Aids with favorite characters
  • Temporary tattoos
  • Small Play-doh packs
  • Chalk
  • Coloring sheets
  • Bouncy balls
  • Hair bows/barrettes
  • Plastic jewelry

We hope you have a safe and healthy Halloween!  As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we're happy to give you guidance on how to manage your child's dental needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

general dentistry for kids in TucsonDr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!

Halloween and Your Kids' Teeth

October 24th, 2013

Every holiday season, we here at Northwest Children's Dentistry like to offer advice on how to get your child's teeth through the holidays.  Holidays generally bring more sugar into our kids' lives, and that's especially true at Halloween.

We know lots of kids make a pretty good candy haul for Halloween.  To keep your child's teeth healthy during this time, remember to brush twice a day and floss daily.  We also recommend not having your child eat their entire Halloween candy stash at once.  This will not only prevent tummy aches, but can reduce the risk of cavities.  Instead, have your child eat only one or two pieces of candy from their stash per day until it is gone.

For the truly inspired, you can also reduce the neighborhood's sugar intake by handing out other treats on Halloween, such as stickers.

As your pediatric dentist in Tucson, we want to help you understand all aspects of your child's dental care.  Feel free to call us at (520) 544-8522.

About Northwest Children's Pediatric Dentists

general dentistry for kids in TucsonDr. Norman Bunch and Dr. Jennifer Marshall are a husband and wife team providing general dentistry for kids in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Oracle, and surrounding areas. Northwest Children's Dentistry provides top-notch care for toddlers, children, teens, and special needs children as your local Tucson dentist. If you’re looking for a kids dentist in Tucson, contact us today!