Trick-or-treating for candy goes hand-in-hand with Halloween. And then all that candy goes hand to mouth, getting chomped up by little teeth! With so much candy coming your way and your child’s way over the next week or two, breaking down the worst of the offenders can help you steer clear of dental damage.
Know Your Sweet Treats
“Halloween is about candy, dressing up and having fun,” says ADA dentist Dr. Ana Paula Ferraz-Dougherty. “It’s OK to eat that candy on Halloween as a splurge as long as you’re brushing twice a day and flossing once a day all year long.”
Chocolate
Chocolate is a good choice for Halloween munching as it is easy to wash off your teeth. Dark chocolate is a bit better than milk chocolate as it has less sugar.
Sticky and Gummy Candy
Gummy bears are cute but can stick into the tiny crevices in your teeth, making it harder to remove from your teeth leaving bacteria more time to get to work at damaging your teeth.
Sour Candy
“Sour candy can be very acidic,” says Dr. Ferraz-Dougherty. “And that acidity can weaken and damage the hard outer shell of your teeth, making your teeth more vulnerable to cavities.”
Hard Candy
Sucking on hard candy has the same effect as gummy candy in that it stays in your mouth longer, allowing bacteria more time to attack your teeth. And it’s sometimes hard to resist that urge to crunch down on hard candy, which can possibly crack or break your teeth.
Popcorn Balls
Seemingly innocent, but popcorn has a sneaky way of getting stuck between your retch so it’s a good idea to have floss on hand after enjoying this Halloween standard.
Enjoy your Halloween treats but just remember, moderation and care after eating treats is key to keeping your BOO-tiful smile! If your little ghosts and goblins get a huge stash of candy from their trick or treating efforts this Halloween, consider donating some via our Halloween Candy Buyback program. We’ll be accepting donations from November 1 – November 3. For more information, click here.
