The Best & Worst Halloween Treats For Your Teeth
Candy is an inescapable part of the Halloween holiday, but being smart about which candies you and your loved ones choose can go a long way for your teeth. Choosing candies that melt away quickly is a great place to start. The longer the candy lingers in your mouth, the longer the sugars have a chance to decay your teeth.
Dark chocolate has many health benefits, including antioxidants and several vitamins and minerals. It also contains less sugar and less is more when it comes to sugar and your teeth.
While powdery candies, such as “pixie sticks”, may not seem like an obvious tooth-friendly choice, but these candies dissolve quickly and are often poured straight onto the tongue, which means less to come in contact with your teeth.
While it may not be a first choice for the little ones, sugar-free candies or gum containing xylitol are top-notch choices if you’re looking to avoid sugar at all this Halloween.
Taffy, caramels, and gummy candies are some of worst sugar offenders. Also, they are more difficult and take longer for saliva to break down, which can lead to cavities that are scarier than most haunted houses.
The peanut butter-chocolate mix tends to have the same effect. Think of sticky peanut butter as the glue that holds the sugars inside chocolate on your teeth longer than it usually would. Our recommendation? Take it easy on the sticky stuff.
To the surprise of many, hard candies and suckers can be just as worse as their gummy, chewy cousins. How many licks does it… Nevermind. Studies show that the average lollipop stays in your mouth for about 7 minutes and are made of almost nothing but sugar. Most may not “feel” the candy is sticking around but the sugar can coat your teeth and linger.
Of course, no dentist would expect for you to skip out on all of your favorite treats this Halloween. But we hope this helps give you a better understanding of what you and your little ones are eating. Happy Trick-or-Treating from Aspen Grove Dental!
