Best and Worst Halloween Candy for Your Teeth

Chances are, you’ve already bought your trick-or-treat candy, or at least spent some time perusing (salivating over) those vibrant jam-packed store aisles. Halloween is a tempting time of year for children and adults, and we know all that candy doesn’t go to the ghosts and monsters that ring your doorbell. Your teeth can take a serious hit with an overindulgence of sweets. Time to find out whether your cravings could send you to the dentist, or if your candy-eating habits only require some serious at-home brushing.
 
Worst Halloween Candy for Your Teeth
 
Taffy is gooey, sticky, and a major no-no for anyone with major dental work. If it doesn’t pull out a filling or bridgework, it can get stuck in your teeth far longer than other candies, producing cavity-causing acid, which leads to the need for more composite fillings. Caramel can have the same negative results.
 
Hard candy may seem harmless – after all, they don’t get stuck in your teeth when you just suck on them for an hour. But there’s the problem: Hard candies take a long time to dissolve, increasing the acidity in your mouth and leading to enamel erosion.
 
Candy packed with nuts or coconut may seem semi-healthy, but when combined with caramel or nougat, the combo is detrimental to your oral health. Nuts can get stuck in the grooves of your teeth, in places not easily reached by your toothbrush or dental floss.
 
Since sugar baths are less than ideal for your teeth, snacking on powdery candy like Pixie Stix can lead to disaster. Though the powder doesn’t require chewing and might dissolve quickly, this indulgence is a full-on shot of sugar for bacteria to feed on and eat away at enamel. Pucker-producingsour candy is also high in acidic content which can break down tooth enamel.
 
Best Halloween Candy for Your Teeth
 
Chocolate lovers rejoice! Straight chocolate without sticky fillings dissolves from your teeth much more quickly than other candies, meaning it’s less likely to damage your smile. In fact, dark chocolate in particular is actually good for you – in moderation – because of its antioxidant-rich properties which can be good for the heart and blood pressure.
 
If you usually shun the chewy stuff, sugar-free gum is one indulgence that’s actually recommended by dentists. Not only is it low in calories, sugar-free gum sweetened with the natural sugar xylitol doesn’t leave behind any plaque-causing residue for bacteria to cling to.
 
Non-citrus sugar-free hard candy is a very specific treat, but if you just have to have a taste of something oh so sweet, this is the combo to choose. Lemon candies contain acid that is harmful to your teeth.
 
It may feel like the “good” options for indulging in sweets are limited, but the bottom line is that whatever candy you choose to snack on this Halloween, try to eat it all in one sitting and brush immediately afterward. Snacking all day might seem “better” for your waistline but it also bathes your teeth in a constant sugar bath, which is far more harmful to your teeth.
 
Feeling like your smile needs a thorough scrubbing? Schedule your dental cleaning with the holistic dental office of Dr. Vladimir Gashinsky in Millburn, NJ. Make your appointment today.