Halloween 2023 – Best And Worst Candy for Your Teeth
What is the best and worst candy for your teeth? Halloween is upon us once more! Whether we want to or not, we’re all going to be around cady. Some of us have kids and we know they’re going trick-or-treating and coming back with little temptations known as candy. Even if you don’t have kids, you’re likely to encounter candy at work or at the store.
Especially when they offer discounts the days following Halloween. Not that I would know. So, if you have a sweet tooth or give in to this peer pressure candy-eating holiday, we’ve got some helpful information. In this article we’ll discuss the best and worst candy for your teeth.
Frequency VS Quantity
When it comes to candy, it’s actually better if you eat a bunch of candy in one sitting, as long as you brush, floss and rinse shortly after. At Least this way you’re removing the sugar that causes cavities. If you were to eat a little bit of candy throughout the day, like snacking, well that’s bad. It’s bad because you let the residue of the candy sit on your teeth allowing the sugars to eat away at your enamel.
And this advice goes further than candy. While snacking may be good for your diet and digestive system, it’s not the most optimal for healthy teeth. Especially if you’re eating carbs or foods the have sugar. Dentally speaking, it’s always best to brush and floss after meals. And nobody is going to brush and floss multiple times a day after every snack. You might, but it remains unlikely.
Chocolate – Best and Worst Candy for Your Teeth
Chocolate was first discovered by natives in what we presently call Mexico. For example, the Aztecs would use cocoa to make a chocolate drink. However, unlike chocolate drinks of today, the Aztecs didn’t have sugar. So, their drink was more on the bitter side. This is probably the healthiest way of consuming chocolate, but today we all love us some sugar.
Which is why the second-best way to consume chocolate is by eating dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate. Additionally, chocolate is one of the easier candies to brush off your teeth.
Here are some chocolate candy options:
- Almonds covered in dark chocolate.
- Coconut covered in dark chocolate.
- Craisins covered in dark chocolate.
Sugar Free Candy – Best and Worst Candy for Your Teeth
Not only is sugar free candy a great alternative but this also applies to sugar free gum. Although, I don’t know if people give out gum during Halloween. If you’re curious about which gums are best for your teeth, then check out this article.
Candy Bars with Nuts
Above, we mentioned chocolate. Well now we’re going to expand on that. Many chocolate bars have sticky, sugary additions like caramel or marshmallow that are hard to brush off. A great alternative is chocolate bars with nuts. The nuts can help break up the stickiness of caramel and/or the other additions in your bar.
Gummies – Worst Candies for Your Teeth
Sticky candies like gummies will stick to your teeth and if you don’t brush right away, they can be a pain to remove. The longer they remain stuck to your teeth, the higher chance there is for tooth decay. In fact, the longer the stick around, the harder the harder it is to remove even with floss.
Sour gummies are worse. Sour gummies are acidic and will eat away at your enamel. Lack of enamel makes it easier for your teeth to chip or break. Additionally, lack of enamel makes your teeth more temperature sensitive.
Hard Candy & Lollipops – Worst Candies for Your Teeth
Many might think that lollipops aren’t that bad because they have limited contact with your teeth compared to other candies that we chew on. However, since lollipops last a while before they dissolve, they can mix their sugars with your saliva and spread all around your teeth and mouth. That’s bad especially considering the amount of time it takes to finish a lollipop.
Popcorn Balls – Worst Candies for Your Teeth
Although some Native American tribes enjoyed popcorn, and while they can be a healthy food, popcorn balls are no bueno. Kernels can get stuck in between your teeth, causing harm to your gums. Also, unlike regular popcorn, popcorn balls are stuck together with the help of sugar.
What To Do After Halloween
So, how do you get rid of all this candy? Especially if you’re trying to save your kids from eating to much sugar and having tooth decay. Well, this used to be a very difficult situation, until we came along. That’s right!
Every year, the day after Halloween, we through an event in collaboration with Operation Gratitude. The event helps to support our troops by reminding them that we’re thinking about them and that we appreciate all that they do for our nation.
We wrote a whole article dedicated to this. You can read it here. In short, you get to come and meet some of our troops, play games, win prizes and even help your school earn money.
Operation Gratitude at Santa Clarita Advanced Dentistry.
November 1, 2023. 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Conclusion
When it comes to which candies are better or worse for your teeth, you definitely have options. Dark chocolate pretty much takes the cake here. Sugar free candies are a good alternative to the traditional candy we’re used to.
Most candies are not good for your dental health. Especially stick candies and hard candies that will interact with your mouth for long periods of time, spreading sugar into every corner of your mouth.
Finally, if you want to do something fun after Halloween, come hang out with us and some of our troops. Have your kids bring their unwanted candy so you can help promote their dental health.
