3 Halloween Candies You Should Avoid Eating When Wearing Braces
It’s the spooky season, which means candy will be in abundance for trick-or-treating festivities. However, indulging in these goodies can be challenging when you wear braces, and you must take precautions to avoid damaging your dental work. Don’t be discouraged, though, because you can still enjoy Halloween by being more selective with your treats. Here’s what you should know.
What Halloween Candies Shouldn’t I Eat With Braces?
1. Sticky & Gummy Candies
Chewy candies like taffy, Starburst®, Tootsie Rolls®, and gummy bears can easily stick to braces. Their texture clings to the wires, making it difficult to remove, and the force needed to get rid of the remnants could pop a bracket off a tooth.
2. Hard Candy
While you can let hard candies simply melt in your mouth, it’s hard to resist biting or crunching them. That harsh chomping could warp wires and break brackets. Sweets such as Jolly Ranchers®, LifeSavers®, and jawbreakers can wreak havoc on your dental work if you’re not careful. You should also avoid hard candies with an outer shell, including Skittles® and M&M’s®, as these can get stuck in braces and loosen brackets.
3. Sweet Popcorn
Getting popcorn kernels out of your teeth is difficult enough without braces. When you’re wearing dental appliances, the kernels can get lodged between the wires and teeth, making them tricky to remove with flossing or brushing. Situations become worse with caramel popcorn, which is hard and sticky. This treat could damage dental work and increase the risk of tooth decay since it’s harder to remove.
