Halloween Smile Health - Eating the Healthy Treats - Elko Dental Specialists

Halloween Smile Health – Eating the Healthy Treats

By admin October 29th
Halloween candy in the house!!! While Halloween may be a little different this year, it still includes candy, treats, and goodies that your little ghosts and goblins love. Having a child with braces may make some parents nervous about all those bowls and bags of candy: thankfully, there’s nothing to worry about as long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

We’ve put together a list of orthodontist-approved treats that anyone can enjoy, as well as what you should avoid if you have braces:

Orthodontist-Approved Halloween Treats:
1. Chocolate
  
  When it comes to Halloween candy that’s easy on your braces, chocolate is a good choice. Chocolate is less likely to get stuck in your braces than other candies and is usually much easier to clean. Dark chocolate is also a great choice because it has less sugar than milk chocolate. You should avoid chocolate that has nuts inside, like peanuts or almonds, as well as sticky caramel. If you are having a hard chocolate bar, just be sure to break it into smaller pieces since biting into one could accidentally damage your braces. Great chocolate choices include:
  - Hershey’s Kisses
  - Plain M&M’s
  - Hershey bars (break the smaller pieces off first)
  - Kit Kats
  - 3 Musketeers
2. Peanut Butter Candy
  
  Peanut butter candies are totally safe for braces too. While peanut butter can get stuck in your braces, a good rinse and a quick brushing after you eat will make sure you’re not leaving anything behind. Just avoid candy with whole peanuts (or other nuts) and you’ll have no problems.
  - Reese’s Cups
  - Reese’s Pieces
  - Butterfinger
  - Peanut Butter M&M’s (avoid the whole-Peanut M&M’s)
3. Baked Treats
  
  Baked goodies are a great choice for spooky treats that you can make with your kids. A quick search online will supply you with an endless list of fun recipes for Halloween-themed cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and more!
4. Ice Cream, Jell-O, and More
  
  Cold treats that are soft or liquidy like ice cream, Jell-O, pudding, smoothies, and shakes are all great choices for braces. Not only will they not get stuck in your braces; the cold temperature can also help soothe sore teeth or gums.
5. Fruit-based Treats
  
  Just like baked goods, there’s no end to the number of recipes you can find online for fun and healthy fruit-based Halloween treats.
Halloween Treats to Avoid with Braces:
1. Sticky Candy
  
  Sticky candy loves to get stuck in your teeth, brackets, and wires. This can put your braces at risk of damage, and they can be a real pain to remove. Any candy that’s really sticky or chewy can easily pop a bracket right off your tooth. Sticky candy you need to avoid include:
  - Bubblegum
  - Starburst
  - Skittles
  - Sour Patch Kids
  - Gummy Candy
  - Taffy
  - Licorice
  - Jelly beans
2. Candy with Nuts
  
  Peanuts, almonds, cashews, and other hard nuts can easily snap a wire or force a bracket to pop off. While peanut butter candy is alright with braces, avoid anything with whole nuts to prevent damaging your braces, including:
  - Baby Ruth bars
  - Almond Joys
  - Peanut M&M’s
  - Snickers
  - Hershey’s bars with Almonds
3. Caramel Apples and Candy Apples
  
  Biting into a whole apple by itself with braces is a no-no. Add a sticky caramel or candy coating and it’s even riskier for your braces. Biting into caramel or candy apples can easily pull brackets right off your teeth and bend wires. If you’re really craving caramel apples, cut an apple into slices and serve with a soft caramel dipping sauce instead!
4. Pretzels and Popcorn
  
  Pretzels and popcorn are popular snacks, but they pose just as much danger to your braces as nuts and other really hard food. Both can snap wires or pop brackets off of teeth, and popcorn loves to get stuck between wires and brackets!
5. Hard Candy Is Okay – Just Don’t Bite Down or Chew Them!
  
  Hard candy like lollipops, hard caramels, butterscotch, and Jolly Ranchers are okay to eat with braces. However, there are two main things to keep in mind about hard candy:
  - Most hard candy is almost 100% sugar, so they’re not good for your teeth
  - Biting down into or trying to chew hard candy is a surefire way to damage your braces
Having braces doesn’t mean you have to put Halloween on hold. As long as you follow these tips about what treats are safe for braces, there’s nothing to be afraid of (unless you stay up all night watching scary movies!) At Elko Dental Specialists, our orthodontic experts have teamed up with pediatric dentists, oral surgeons, endodontists, prosthodontists, and periodontists to create a dental super-team living under one roof. We’re fully staffed and equipped to provide for all of your family’s oral care needs, and having all of our specialists in one location means you won’t have to drive all over Northern Nevada for treatment. To see how we can serve you and your family, give us a call at (775) 753-6118 or get in touch with us online today.
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