Halloween is almost here which means there will be a seemingly endless supply of candy and other goodies for children and teens to enjoy. To keep with the spirit of the sweet and spooky Halloween season, Dr. Moles and his team at The Village Orthodontist would like to remind all our patients wearing braces to be careful about what you eat.
All the sweet, sticky, and gooey candies you collect while trick or treating can pose some real danger to braces. The last thing you want to do during the fun Halloween season is to visit us for an emergency appointment because you busted a bracket. Therefore, we’ve put together the following info that lets you know what candies and treats you can enjoy while wearing braces and which goodies you should steer clear of completely because they can loosen, bend and break the appliances on your teeth.
Treats You Can Enjoy
Feel free to enjoy soft candies and treats or those that melt in your mouth like:
- Soft chocolates (without nuts)
- Peanut butter cups
- Plain M&Ms;
- Junior Mints
- Reese’s Pieces
- Ritz Bits mini crackers
- Cheez-It mini crackers
- Soft cookies (without nuts)
- Cheese puffs
These are just some of the goodies you can safely eat with braces. You can also enjoy all soft fruits, cupcakes, applesauce, pudding and ice cream bars. Just use your common sense when deciding what treats you can have. When in doubt, it’s best to say no to any treat you believe could break your braces.
Treats To Avoid
Be sure to avoid eating anything hard, sticky, crunchy and gooey that can play ghastly tricks on your braces including:
- Candy & chocolate with nuts
- Doritos and all crunchy chips
- Hard candies
- Sugar Babies
- Nerds
- Candy Corn
- Jolly Ranchers
- Milk Duds
- Dots
- Taffy
- Caramels
- Beef jerkySwedish Fish
- Caramel & candy apples
Some Helpful Tips for a Fun-Filled Halloween
When you get home from the parties you attend or when you’re done trick or treating, take the time to sort through your candies and treats to remove all the goodies you can’t eat when wearing braces. You can then trade with siblings or friends for treats you can safely eat so you don’t miss out.
We’d also like to remind all of you wearing braces of how important it is to do a good job with your oral hygieneand especially after you’ve eaten treats high in sugar. So be sure to brush and floss well every day and to carefully work your toothbrush into all the nooks and crannies in and around your appliances!