The Scoop on Halloween Candy and Your Teeth

​It is Halloween time… time for the ghosts and goblins to come out and play! It’s also time for the oral bacteria in your mouth to come out and play and wreck some havoc on your teeth. When the bacteria eat the sugar and leftover food in your mouth, a weak acid is produced. That acid can contribute to cavities. The good news is that eating Halloween candy is a splurge that is dentist-approved if you’re brushing twice a day and flossing once a day all year long.

​To help you sort through the trick-or-treat bag here is a rundown of some common candies and their impact on your teeth:

Chocolate – Chocolate is probably your best bet  

• most popular kind of candy handed out on Halloween
• washes off your teeth easier than other types of candy
• dark chocolate also has less sugar than milk chocolate

Sticky and Gummy Candies – some of the worst candies for your teeth

• harder to remove and may stay longer on your teeth, which gives that cavity-causing bacteria more time to work
• loves to stick onto your teeth and it can be a long while before they are brushed off teeth, especially for kids

Hard Candy – do yourself a favor and stay away from hard candies

• tend to be the candy that you keep in your mouth for a long while, so the sugar is gets in your saliva and washes over your teeth for a longer period of time
• tend to break teeth as they are chewed on
• worst offender for causing tooth extractions!

Sour Candy – you might want to pass on things that make you pucker – especially if they are sticky and coated in sugar

• double trouble because they are sticky and acidic
• their stickiness causes them to stay on your teeth
• the acidity in the sour flavor damages the outer surface of your teeth and makes them more vulnerable to decay

If you or your little ones must have candy for Halloween, chocolate is a good choice. The best choice, however, is to stay away from eating them and look into candy exchanges around town that exchange candy for other treats like toys or money!

Dr. Zuniga | DIHFS Dentist