What To Know About Halloween Candy And Your Oral Health
Posted on: 2 November 2021
With Halloween just wrapping up, you're sure to have a lot more candy in your home waiting to be eaten. However, be aware that there is some candy that is going to be worse for your teeth than others. Here are some things to know about eating candy that will help prevent cavities from forming.
Avoid Candy That You Suck On
One of the problems that is going to cause cavities is exposing your teeth to sugar for prolonged periods of time. If you eat a small piece of candy that is gone right away, it is going to be on your teeth for very little time compared to other foods. Meanwhile, a sucker rests against your teeth for a very long period of time as you eat it. Know that the length of time that candy is sitting on your teeth matters, so it can be helpful to rinse or brush after eating those when possible.
Stick To Chocolate
You may not realize that chocolate is a candy that rinses off your teeth quite easily compared to other types of candy. Once again, decreasing the time that your teeth are exposed to the sugar is going to go a long way to limit the possibility of a cavity forming. However, eating dark chocolate is going to be preferred to milk chocolate, which is because dark chocolate has less sugar and will cause less damage.
Eat Sugar-Free Candy
While chances are low that you got much sugar-free candy while trick-or-treating, try to stick to the sugar-free candy when possible to limit the damage done to your teeth. Sugar-free gum is also a great way to clean the surface of your teeth. However, still have these things in moderation.
Pick Candy With Nuts
Any candy that contains nuts in it is going to have that abrasive element that helps scrape the surface of your teeth while you are eating it. While chocolate-covered nuts are not the best option for your teeth, those nuts can make it better than eating other candy that is mostly sugar with no abrasive elements inside them.
Avoid Sticky And Gummy Candy
Anything that is sticky and gummy is going to stick your teeth longer, which prolongs the time that the sugar is on your teeth. Avoid these foods when possible, because they are going to be hard to clean off and easily missed when brushing as well. This may be something to consider by taking out the sticky and gummy foods from your kids candy basket, because they are one of the worst candies they can eat for their oral health.
Talk to a dentist for more advice.
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