Braces: Trick No Treat? Tips On Best Candies This Halloween
Candy and Braces are 2 words that may not go well together. After reading this article you’ll be glade to find that wearing braces and eating candy, can be reunited.
One of the worst aspects of having corrective mouth wear is the inability to eat with braces. Once Halloween comes around, the suffering intensifies. There are certain snacks and candies that just aren’t made with corrective mouth wear in mind.
It’s also easier for tooth decay to occur with mouth wear because the brackets can cover up the enamel, making it difficult to brush under them. An excess of sugar can increase the plaque under those areas. However, because it’s difficult to tell a child that they can’t eat the candy that they’ve collected on Halloween, here are a few tips on how to handle candy and sweets on Halloween.
1. Stay Away From Hard Candies
Suckers, for example, are one of the worst candies that your child can eat with teeth corrective mouth wear. While most of the time they’re just sucking on the morsel of sugar, at some point, the candy encourages them to bite through it. This can severely damage your braces.
The hard pressure and cracking can cause wires and brackets to break or rupture. As a result, they’re going to need to be taken to their orthodontist in order to fix them.
Jolly Ranchers are another hard candy to avoid. They also encourage the child to crunch through them once it’s been sucked on enough. To protect your child’s brackets and wires, remove suckers and Jolly Ranchers from their Halloween treats until their brackets are removed.
2. Avoid Acidic Candies
Highly acidic candies like Skittles and Starbursts should also be avoided. When you eat with braces, the kind of food you’re eating can wear down the enamel. Highly acidic foods and candies can make the wear occur even faster.
It essentially eats away at the enamel. For those with corrective mouth wear, if their enamel is worn down beneath their brackets, then this can cause cavities and decay to occur. To promote healthy teeth, acidic candies should be avoided.
3. Encourage Soft Chocolate
However, kids with braces can still enjoy some sweets. Soft chocolate, for example, is easy on their brackets. They can suck and chew on the chocolate without concern. Chocolates like Hershey Kisses, Hershey bars, and other soft chocolate bars are safe to eat.
Reese’s are another great favorite. Luckily, they won’t damage your braces either. You can eat as many Reese’s as your parents will allow.
4. Ice Cream
A substitute for Halloween candy is ice cream. If you’re worried about braces and candy, then you can do away with candy entirely. Instead, you can take your child to their favorite ice cream shop.
Ice cream is soft on their mouths and won’t break their brackets or wires. It’s also relatively less sugary than other candies. This can do less damage to the enamel and gums.
You can even offer them a Root Beer float or other variations of desserts that include soft ice cream. Your child won’t feel as left out provided they still have a tasty treat at the end of the night.
5. Brush After
If candy and braces are a concern of yours, then you can always help your child practice excellent oral care by encouraging them to brush and floss after eating candy. Preventative care begins with brushing and flossing regularly. Once they’ve finished eating candy, you should encourage them to brush and floss their teeth.
With corrective mouth wear, children can have a more difficult time in cleaning their teeth than those who don’t have it. While they were likely taught how to brush their teeth by their orthodontist, Halloween is a good time to go over those brushing techniques. You can stand idly by and supervise their brushing and flossing to ensure they scrub all the sugar off as much as possible.
6. Dentist Appointment
To further ensure your child’s teeth are healthy, you can schedule a dentist appointment after Halloween. Whether your child is wearing braces or not, everyone can benefit from regular teeth cleaning. When placed the day after Halloween, any additional residue or sugar can be cleaned off by the experts. Book your appointment today, We have 3 Connecticut office locations for your convenience. Book Today!