With costumes, cauldrons, and candy, it’s hard to not get excited when All Hallows’ Eve rolls around! Halloween kicks off the slew of holidays that take us through the end of the year. As is the case with many holidays, Halloween comes with a ton of sweets and treats to set the jovial tone for kids and adults alike. But as many of us know, too much of a good thing is never, well… good.
We’ll admit that it’s hard to have Halloween without its vital centerpiece: candy! Sugary treats may be difficult to avoid this time of year, but there are certainly some choices that are better than others. Here’s a list of the top three WORST Halloween candies for your teeth. These are absolutely NOT dentist-approved!
1) Sour Candy
A popular choice for candy-lovers, this type of sweet is both sour in taste and in consequences. The acid that gives sour candy its flavor can weaken your teeth’s enamel, making them prime targets for cavities. Because acid can corrode teeth over time, the few moments of pleasure aren’t quite worth the potential long-term trouble.
2) Hard Candy
Hard candy has a lot of overlap with sticky candy as far as why it’s one of the worst candy types for your teeth. The more pertinent reason hard candy is terrible for your chompers is the temptation to bite down on them. Biting down on hard candies puts your teeth at risk for damage such as tooth fractures. Hard candy also takes longer to dissolve, so sugar is in the mouth longer than with other types of candy. Consider avoiding or limiting the lollipops this year!
3) Sticky Candy
In this case, first is not the best because sticky candy is actually the worst for your teeth. You know the kind. You take a bite, and it looks like a “cheese pull” of the sugar realm. This year, it would be a good idea to skip the stickier sweets, like toffees or caramels, as they are known to hang on to the teeth after consumption.
Sticky bites are the absolute worst Halloween candies for your teeth because when sugar lingers in the mouth, it creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to thrive. As a rule of thumb, if it sticks to your teeth, it’s a trick and not a treat!
It might seem like this list of the worst candies for your teeth leaves you with limited options. Fear not! Chocolate is better for you and is a great alternative to these sweets. What makes chocolate stand out? According to American Dental Association dentist Dr. Ana Paula Ferraz-Dougherty, chocolate is better for you simply for the fact that it washes off the surface of your teeth easier than other sweets. Go for dark chocolate, if it’s available, when looking for the healthiest choice.
Candy is best consumed after your meals, which helps cut the time spent exposing teeth to sugar. As for aftercare, be sure to drink water after you consume candy and then brush and floss your teeth,!
Want more information on how to keep your teeth in great shape during the holidays? Click here.
