When you first started wearing braces, you learned about how to best take care of them, including recommendations about certain foods to avoid.
But what are the rules at Halloween? Is any candy safe, or do you have to stay away from it altogether?
Your Greeley orthodontist is here to offer some helpful tips that will keep your smile and your brackets, wires, and orthodontic appliances intact.
With Braces, Candy Doesn’t Always Have To Be Off Limits
Sugar is always something to consume in moderation for the sake of your teeth whether you wear braces or not, but the type of sweets you’re eating can also make a difference between a harmless treat or a nasty trick on your brackets and wires!
If It’s Sticky, It’s Tricky
The amount of time your teeth are exposed to sugar is actually a more significant factor than how much you consume when it comes to avoiding tooth decay.
That’s why you’ll want to be careful about any candy that takes a while to eat, like suckers and jolly ranchers. You’d only prolong the amount of time harmful bacteria would have to consume the sugar and get busy attacking your teeth. Not to mention the risk posed if you were to bite down the wrong way and break more than the candy itself!
The time factor also applies to anything gooey or sticky, like marshmallows, taffy, caramel, gummy worms, and licorice.
These substances are also really hard to clean out of your brackets and wires, which is another reason you’d want to avoid them, if possible. Trying to get a chunk of caramel out of one of your brackets could increase the risk of it breaking, falling off, or pulling a wire out of alignment.
Safer Treats To Try
Chocolate candy bars aren’t as problematic, even if they have crisps, toffee pieces, or nuts in them, so long as those added delights are finely chopped enough to not pose a big risk of biting down on larger pieces that could damage teeth or braces.
For added protection, rinse your mouth out with water after you eat candy to clean away all the sugary residue from your teeth. And if moderation is always tough for you, it’s a good idea to eat a healthy meal before you let yourself loose on the bowl of Halloween candy sitting on the counter!
Call For An Appointment!
So what’s the best defense against things going wrong with your braces?
It’s to listen to the advice of your Greeley orthodontist, Dr. Richter on how to take great care of them at home and his suggestions for any dietary changes that might be necessary to keep your orthodontic treatment on track!
For an appointment with us, call Richter Orthodontics today at 970-500-5928 or contact us online.
In the meantime, have a safe and happy Halloween!
