kids trick-or-treating learn the best Halloween candy for braces

Your Candy Survival Guide for a Boo-tiful Halloween

Halloween is around the corner! What’s more exciting for children and teens than the neighbors giving away a bunch of free candy? I mean, really.

It’s true that if you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment with braces, you may have to make some candy trade deals with your friends in order to maximize your braces-friendly snack arsenal. Not every candy is safe for your braces.

This gives you a chance to branch out this year and try some different Halloween candy. Fortunately, there are just as many braces-friendly candies as there are braces-unfriendly candies. We’ll explore them.

Let’s dive into the different candies you should avoid this Halloween—and the ones that you’re free to splurge on.

Worst Candy for Braces

We’ll deliver the bad news first. These are the candies you should try to avoid with braces:

1.Hard candies: Biting into a jawbreaker, Jolly Rancher, Runt or Life Saver could land you right in our exam chair with a broken bracket or loose wire. Not only can some hard candies damage your braces, but they can also damage your teeth! Be extra careful with hard Halloween candy and avoid it as much as possible.

2.Sticky candies: Those sticky candies that require some serious chewing – you know the ones – should be donated to your friends’ bags this Halloween. A Laffy Taffy, Starburst, Now & Later or caramel-filled candy can stick to your brackets and wires, get lodged between your teeth and braces, or pull a wire loose while you’re chewing.

3.Nuts: Snickers, peanut M&M’s, PayDay, Peanut Brittle, and chocolate-covered almonds unfortunately come with some risks when you have braces. Nuts are infamous for getting stuck in wires and stuck between teeth. Similar to hard candy, biting down on a nut can disrupt your treatment and require a replacement bracket.

If you saw your favorite candy (or your child’s favorite candy) on that list, we send our deepest condolences. Take a moment to grieve, then prepare yourself for an even longer list of braces-approved Halloween candy!

Best Candy for Braces

1.Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

2. Hershey’s chocolate bars

3. Hershey’s kisses

4.Three Musketeers

5.Ice cream

6.Ice cream sandwiches

7.Soft cookies without nuts: Sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies

8.Cupcakes

9.Kit Kat bars

10.Milky Way

There are tons of different candies out there. If you aren’t sure whether your favorite candy is a braces-friendly snack, we encourage you to reach out to us or ask us at your next check-in appointment.

Which Halloween candy can you eat if you have Invisalign®?

It’s a trick question! All candy is Invisalign-friendly, because Invisalign treatment doesn’t require any dietary restrictions. You can remove your clear aligners to chow down, then clean your teeth thoroughly with your toothbrush and floss, rinse out your clear aligners and pop them back in place to continue your treatment!

Invisalign is incredibly convenient and effective. We’re proud to be Invisalign Diamond Plus providers who offer Invisalign for teens and adults in St. Petersburg and Seminole. If you’re ready to start Invisalign treatment before Halloween, or you’re planning to chow down on Halloween candy next year, request your complimentary exam with us today!

The Bottom Line

A broken bracket or loose wire isn’t the only thing to worry about with Halloween candy. As we all know, candy has a lot of sugar—and sugar can mean cavities.

After you enjoy a handful of candies, take a break! Go rinse your mouth out with water, brush your teeth, and floss your teeth. Rinsing your mouth out and cleaning your teeth can remove the sugars that create cavities.

The longer you leave sugar on your teeth, the more damage it does. Of all nights, Halloween night is especially critical for cleaning your teeth! After you’ve filled your stomach with candy and your teeth have gone through the wringer, they’ll need your support.

If your child is the one in treatment, it’s a good idea to make sure that they prioritize a thorough oral hygiene routine before bed.

We just want to help you make the best decisions for you or your child’s smile, in order to prevent dental damage that can derail you from your treatment, or even worse, require a dental repair.

Happy (almost) Halloween from your favorite orthodontists at Insoft & Hurst Orthodontics. If you have any questions about acceptable candies or you have a question about your child’s treatment, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We love hearing from you.

We’re here to guide you through your treatment process, from your very first visit, to your last appointment— and every holiday that falls in between.

If you’re looking for a top orthodontist in St. Petersburg or Seminole, we’d love to meet you! Request a complimentary exam for you or your child today.

Other Posts You Might Like