Most of us are probably excited for Halloween right about
now, but as an orthodontist in Las Vegas; I wanted to personally remind you how
to have a sticky-free Halloween this year.
Some Candies are
Worse than Others
First off, you or your children do not have to give up candy
completely, but rather take steps in trying to minimize the amount of harm
done. The fact of the matter is that there are a wide variety of candy products
on the market with some being worse than others.
Icky Sticky
If you’re thinking about putting any sticky candies into
your mouth, or candies that are gooey then you may want to reconsider this and
evaluate the positives and negatives.
Any candies with caramel, taffy, and others always pose the
possibility of breaking one of your brackets off directly from your teeth. The
reason is because when the candy sticks to the teeth, it adds extra pressure to
your teeth every time you open and close your mouth. If the situation is worse
enough, then the pressure will eventually pull a bracket right off. Beware!
Hard Times
If it’s hard, then be careful. Every candy can be considered
“hard” to a certain degree but we’re referring to actual hard candies such as
jawbreakers or anything that must be sucked on for a period of time before you
have any chance at biting down. Biting down too forcefully on hard candies may
result in damaged braces. It’s not worth it!
Quick tip: suck on any hard candies instead of biting down,
that way you still enjoy your candy!
It's Not Just About Candy
Lastly, it’s not necessarily all about what type of candy
you’re consuming, but rather how frequently you’re consuming it. At the end
day, we can all agree that candy is over 50% sugar. Unfortunately, sugar causes
our mouth to become an acidic environment that is perfect for initiating tooth
decay.
Quick tip: it’s actually better to eat more candy at once rather than stringing it out
for the whole day. When you string candy out in small pieces throughout the
day, you constantly expose your mouth to an acidic environment and that isn’t
good.
If you’re going to partake in the candy tradition this
Halloween, then don’t forget to compensate for this by putting extra effort
into brushing and flossing your teeth. Make absolutely sure to remove any candy
particles that are caught between your teeth and in your braces.
Happy Halloween from your braces orthodontist in Las Vegas!
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