Yes, Halloween is a special occasion that comes only once a year, but remember – all the candy you can get during October you can get any other time of year too. It just won’t have the fancy orange and black and spooky wrappers. If you want to ensure that your braces aren’t damaged by all the tricks and treats of Halloween time, follow these tips to get through the holiday without an emergency trip to your Woodinville orthodontist.
1. Avoid the chewy stuff.
From Twizzlers to fruit snacks, Airheads to gummy worm, caramel to taffy, chewy foods are already on the do-not-eat list for braces-wearers. If you manage to eat these sweets without causing damage, they will still get stuck in your hardware and make cleaning that much more difficult. But far more likely is that you’ll indulge in a chewy sweet and destroy your brackets and wires in just a few bites.
2. Be careful with hard candy.
Hard candies and lollipops may seem like the safe choice. You just suck on them, no damage caused. Not so fast. These sweets, along with jawbreakers, candy apples, and the like, can break a bracket just like that. Plus, hard candies leave a sugar bath in your mouth, increasing your chances of decay among teeth that already require diligent cleaning to keep healthy through orthodontic treatment.
3. Stick to chocolate.
Now, if you’re ready to indulge, chocolate is one place you can do so safely, as long as you stick with soft, creamy chocolate. That means avoiding any candy bars that contain nuts, caramel, nougat, or other crunchy or chewy substances. Stick to peanut butter cups and solid chocolate bars for candy that just floats over your teeth without wreaking havoc. You still need to brush and floss well, but you won’t have to worry about doing damage while you’re chowing down.
4. Brush and floss like a champ.
If you’ve been wearing braces for a while, you should have an oral health care routine down pretty well by now. Just ramp it up a little at Halloween, especially at times when you’re indulging in more candy than usual. Brush and floss carefully and, if you can’t get to a toothbrush right away, at least rinse thoroughly with water to try to stall some of the sugar damage at least.
Keep Your Braces Safe on Halloween
These Halloween candy tips don’t just apply to teenagers who wear braces – adults who wear Invisalign or braces need to follow the rules too to make sure they aren’t calling their dentist the day after Halloween for some fixes to the damage that’s been done.
Remember, if you can make it through this Halloween without indulging, chances are you will be braces-free by the time next Halloween rolls around. That will be something to celebrate! If you want to learn more about braces for yourself or your child, or have questions about navigating Halloween with orthodontics, schedule an appointment with Dr. Soleil Roberts at Soleil Orthodontics in Woodinville, WA.