Posted on September 28, 2018
Trick or treat! Halloween is just around the corner, and the staff here at Orthodontics LA wants to make sure your holiday is spooky, fun, and braces-friendly. Your braces won’t stop you from enjoying Halloween, as long as you take the necessary precautions and make the right choices for your teeth. We’re here to help! Here are a few tricks (and treats!) to make sure your Halloween doesn’t end with a broken bracket or cavities!
Hard candies – It can be very tempting to bite down on crunchy hard candy, which is very harmful for your braces! Even if you don’t chew hard candy, letting it stay in your mouth while it dissolves gives those corrosive sugars plenty of time to damage your teeth and your braces.
Sticky candies – Caramel, taffy, gummies, and other chewy treats can get stuck to your braces and cause cavities or broken brackets. You’ll definitely want to avoid these.
Popcorn – Popcorn may sound harmless (it’s so soft and fluffy!), but it contains sharp, hard kernels that can easily get stuck in your braces and cause problems. If you want to munch on something soft and crispy, try some homemade rice krispie treats! The fresher they are, the softer they’ll be.
Nuts – You’ll want to steer clear of chocolates and candies that contain nuts, as they are hard to chew and not approved for braces.
Chocolate – Chocolates without nuts or caramel are soft enough to chew! Some chocolate can even just melt in your mouth. If plain chocolate isn’t your thing, try chocolates with soft centers like marshmallow fluff, creme, or nut butter. Bonus points if you choose dark chocolate, which contains less sugar and great antioxidants!
Peanut Butter Cups – this classic treat is delicious and soft enough for trick-or-treaters with braces! They come in most Halloween candy variety packs, so many houses will be handing them out.
Other Classics – Think outside the box! Cut up your favorite fruits into bite sized pieces, start a new Halloween snack tradition like a spooky cake or pie, or come up with your own creative, braces-friendly treat!
While you have more flexibility, as you are able to remove your trays for short periods of time to eat, remember that you should wear them for about 22 hours per day in order to make sure they are working on schedule! Before you put your trays back in after enjoying a Halloween treat, be sure to thoroughly brush and floss! If food particles are left behind under your Invisalign trays, they can cause painful cavities and other damage to your teeth and your trays!
Trick-or-treating isn’t the only fun activity you can do on Halloween! Have a pumpkin carving party with your friends, host or attend a haunted house, or enter a costume contest!
No matter how you decide to celebrate Halloween, remember to thoroughly brush your teeth and floss after you enjoy your treats! If you’re passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, be sure to include some braces-friendly treats for them to choose from!
