Halloween isn’t far away, and it’s time to start thinking about costumes and candy. Unfortunately, for braces wearers, candy happens to be one of the main causes of bent wires and broken brackets. The last thing you need is a broken bracket on Halloween night, so it’s important to know what types of candy you need to avoid. Avoid the trick and enjoy the treat by steering clear of these types of candy on Halloween night.

Any Type of Gummy Candy

Any type of gummy candy, whether it’s gummy worms, gummy bears, or those gummy Swedish fish, should be avoided. Sure, they taste great, but they can wreak havoc on your braces. The gummy texture can easily wrap around the brackets of your braces pulling them off when you’re chewing the candy.

Popcorn Balls

Skip the popcorn balls, caramel popcorn, and any other type of popcorn. It’s the kernels in the popcorn that are the problem, since they can become lodged in braces and between teeth. Not only is this uncomfortable, but it can cause problems. Those kernels can actually break your wires and brackets, so it’s best to avoid any Halloween treats containing popcorn.

Chewy Candies

Any type of chewy candy like salt water taffy, tootsie rolls, jelly beans, air heads, starburst, and skittles can all be a problem if you’re wearing braces. Since they are so chewy, they all have the ability to bend or even break your braces, so if these candies end up in your trick or treat bag this Halloween, it’s best to give them to someone else.  

Hard Candy

If you’re wearing braces, you’ll also need to avoid hard candy. Jolly ranchers, hard peppermints, jawbreakers, and other types of hard candy can bend your wires, break brackets, stain the elastics, and result in tooth decay. You’ll probably also want to avoid lifesavers, tic tacs, and nerds if they show up in your loot bag this Halloween.

Caramels

Caramels are one of the worst type of candy if you’re wearing braces, since it’s so stick that it can actually stick to your brackets, pulling them right off your teeth. Sure, anything with caramel tastes amazing, but anything with a lot of caramel, even caramel apples, should be avoided. If there’s only a small amount of caramel in the candy, such as what you’ll find in a Twix bar or a Milky way, then it may be okay to have a bit.  

Licorice

Not only is licorice a bad choice of candy because it’s so chewy and sticky, but the way you eat it, tugging and pulling when you bite, is also bad for braces. Eating licorice can easily result in bent wires and torn off brackets. It also gets stuck in teeth and in your braces, which can cause bad breath and increase your chance of tooth decay.

Candies Containing Nuts

You’ll also want to leave along any types of candies that contain nuts in them, such as Almond Joy, Payday, Snickers, and Babe Ruth bars. The nuts can be hard on teeth and your braces. Bite into them wrong and you’ll pop a bracket.

Safe Halloween Candy Choices if You Have Braces

By this point, you’re probably wondering if you can indulge in any type of candy this Halloween. The good news is that there are some types of candy that are a safer choice for you to enjoy. Anything that’s pure chocolate is going to be fine if you have braces. Pure chocolate is easy for you to chew and won’t result in damage to your braces. Play M&Ms, Dove, Hershey bars or kisses, and other pure chocolate candies are great choices.

Do you love the flavor of nuts? While you need to stay away from candies containing nuts, peanut butter cups are a great compromise. You get all the flavor of peanuts without the hard nuts. You won’t bend wires or damage brackets when you bit into a peanut butter cup, and you’ll get a bit of protein with your chocolate, too. Another safe candy choice for Halloween is peppermint patties, such as junior mints or York patties. They taste refreshing and they’re very soft, so you don’t need to worry about damaging your braces.

Keep in mind, even candies safe for braces contain a lot of sugar, so it’s also important to make sure you brush your teeth after you enjoy your night of indulging on Halloween. Skip the dangerous candy choices and make sure you brush after enjoying a few pieces of candy and you’ll avoid big orthodontic problems this Halloween. If you do happen to damage your braces this Halloween, give your Melbourne, Florida orthodontist a call right away. We can fix your braces and get your treatment back on track.