Halloween candy that’s safe for braces (and which candies are too ghoulish to eat!)
Grab your plastic pumpkin, your costume and your best “boo” face because Halloween is almost here! While the streets will be filled with ghouls, goblins, and ghosts, we think the scariest thing you’ll see on Halloween is candy that rips your braces right off your teeth! Yikes!
Does having braces mean that you have to skip the sugar-fest that comes with trick or treating? Absolutely not! With a little planning and some careful digging through that pile of candy looking for more than just the “good stuff,” you can avoid candies that are dangerous for your braces.
Ghoulish candies to avoid on Halloween when you have braces
Halloween candies that are particularly crunchy, chewy or sticky can be bad news for your braces. These types of candy can yank your braces brackets right off your teeth … and nothing is spookier than an emergency orthodontist visit the day after Halloween!
Here are some candies to avoid if you have braces. Dig these out of your basket and give them to your braces-less friends and be the best trick-or-treating partner ever.
- Taffy
- Toffee
- Candy apples
- Caramel apples
- Caramels
- Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies
- Butterfingers
- Nuts
- Peanut M&Ms
- Candy with nuts such as Almond Joy, Snickers, and Mounds
- Chewing gum
- Jawbreakers
- Dum-dums
- Jolly Ranchers
- Butterscotch candies
- Peppermints
- Hard candies
- Lollipops
- Gummy candies
The angels of Halloween candy
Yes, the list above is long, but there are still PLENTY of candies you can enjoy on Halloween that won’t jump out and say “boo” to your braces. Candies that are typically softer, without nuts, toffee, taffy or hard components, are typically safe for your braces.
Here are the angels of the Halloween candy world, so eat up! (Just remember to brush and floss after!)
- Reese’s Pieces
- Reese’s peanut butter cups
- Kit Kats
- 3 Musketeers
- M&Ms
- Peanut butter M&Ms
- Potato chips
- Cheetos
No matter what you’re eating on Halloween – make sure you brush and floss!
As long as you stick to the “angels of candy” list, stuffing yourself with Halloween candy is fine for your braces. Now let’s talk about your teeth. Yes, all that sugar is sooooo bad for your teeth, but only if you let it sit long enough to feed the bacteria in your mouth and encourage the development of cavities.
Immediately after eating your Halloween candy, make sure to brush and floss. When you have braces, it’s so easy for food particles to hide around your brackets and under your arch wires and end up causing cavities and stains. Make sure to get all that cavity-causing sugar off your teeth as soon as you can. Bring a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss with you if you’re going to be at a friend’s house that night. If you’re out for a long night of trick or treating and you’re sneaking along the way, bring a bottle of water to swish around your mouth occasionally to wash some of the sugar away until you have time to brush.
Want to know more about keeping your braces safe during Halloween and all year round?
Atlanta Orthodontic Specialists helps kids all around Atlanta get the gorgeous, straight smiles they deserve. We’d be happy to answer all your questions. Give us a call today!
