October means that Halloween is near, and MouthHealthy, the award-winning consumer website of the American Dental Association (ADA), published “Halloween Candy: Your Dental Health Survival Guide.” MouthHealthy noted that the bacteria in your mouth eat the sugar and leftover food in your mouth, producing a weak acid that can contribute to cavities.
MouthHealthy’s guide states that it is fine to eat candy on Halloween so long as a person brushes twice a day and flosses once a day all year long. Some of the most popular types of candy given out at Halloween include:
Chocolate
Chocolate is actually one of the better kinds of candy to consume because it washes off the teeth easier than many other types of candy. It should be noted that dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate.
Sticky and Gummy Candies
This kind of candy can be more difficult to remove from your teeth and may stay on the teeth for longer periods. This runs the risk of cavity-causing bacteria having additional time to work.
Hard Candy
These kinds of candy can break or damage your teeth if you are not careful. People tend to keep these candies in their mouths for more extended periods, which can lead to sugar getting into the saliva and washing over your teeth.
Sour Candy
One of the notable concerns with sour candy is its very acidity. More acidic candies are more likely to weaken and damage the outer shells of people’s teeth.
Popcorn Balls
Eating popcorn balls can lead to kernels being caught in between your teeth, which can cause some dental problems. Individual popcorn balls may also be sugary or hard, possibly causing additional tooth problems.
The website Toon Goggles published a helpful list of 25 things people could pass out this Halloween instead of candy. The list included:
- Halloween stickers or temporary tattoos
- Mini cans of Play-Doh
- Small cheap toys
- Glow sticks or glow-in-the-dark jewelry
- Apples or apple chips,
- Kids’ Clif Z bars or individually packaged fig bars,
- Small packs of crackers,
- And, of course, toothbrushes.
Contact Us
Be sure to schedule a checkup and cleaning after you have finished your trick-or-treating this Halloween and make sure to visit your friends at Babylon Dental Care. Call (631) 983-6665 or contact us online to schedule your appointment, and we look forward to seeing you!