The 3 Best & Worst Halloween Candy For Your Teeth
Halloween is just around the corner. And the Halloween candy is already flowing at various parties and Trunk-or-Treat events. But before you reach for that sweet treat, you should know that some candies are actually far worse for your teeth than others.
I know, I know. Who wants to talk about tooth health on the most candy-crazy holiday there is? I mean, besides dentists. And dentists are the ones who came up with this list of candy you shouldn’t be handing out (or eating) on Halloween. The good news is that there are lots of tasty options still up for grabs.
The 3 Worst Halloween Candy Options For Your Teeth
Let’s get right to the point. These three Halloween candy choices are the absolute worst you can make, according to the dentists at Inglewood Family Dental in Calgary. First, the beloved Candy Corn. Even though its a Halloween candy staple, Candy Corn tends to stick to teeth longer than other candies. That means longer exposure of the sugars to your tooth enamel.
There’s also the issue of how much sugar is in just one serving of the stuff. Consisting of about 19 pieces, one serving of Candy Corn contains 28 grams of sugar. Which is two grams less than an adult’s recommended daily intake and four grams more than a child’s. Considering you can get that same sugar intake with more pieces of a different kind of candy, it makes sense to skip the Candy Corn. And doing so might also mean you get to skip a cavity filling at your next dentist visit.
Not going to lie. This one might hurt. The second Halloween candy on the dentist no-no list is the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Yep. There’s a reason those little suckers are so darn tasty. They contain about 21 grams of sugar per serving. Which is the same amount you would get from eating five tablespoons. The bacteria in our mouth love sugar as much as our tongue does. And the bacteria feeds on that sugar, which produces acids that erode tooth enamel. Bring on the cavities!
And speaking of tooth decay, introducing the mother of sugar overload: the Candy Apple. You ready for this? Just one Candy Apple has over 60 grams of sugar. Which is double the recommended daily intake for adults and almost triple the recommended daily intake for children.
Again, all that sugar helps mouth bacteria erode tooth decay. And since the coating is sticky, it also stays on your teeth longer to cause more damage. It doesn’t help that having to bite into somethinhard has its own risks for tooth damage.
3 Good Tooth-Friendly Alternatives For Halloween Candy
For those who are looking out for their teeth this year, the experts at Inglewood Family Dental have a few recommendations. First are lollipops that promote oral health. There are a few brands on the market, like Zollipops and Dr. John’s. And my kiddo can’t tell the difference between them and sugary suckers. Not only do these products contain no sugar, but they also help neutralize acidity in the mouth. Both important for healthy teeth.
Another recommendation for healthier Halloween candy is chocolate. YES!! That is not a typo, people. We can enjoy chocolate for Halloween! While it still should be eaten in moderation, chocolate is a better option for tooth health than sticky candies that don’t wash away from tooth enamel as easily. If you want to be even healthier, opt for dark chocolate. Which contains less sugar and includes natural chemicals that can reduce bacteria in the mouth.
But if you really can’t have Halloween candy without something sticky, choose sugar-free candies. No sugar means less harmful bacteria that erodes teeth. These candies use a sugar substitute to satisfy that sweet tooth. Xylitol is especially beneficial for tooth health, as it promotes saliva production. Which helps to wash the candy away from the enamel and helps to neutralize those harmful acids.
NOTE FOR ANIMALS LOVERS: If you do opt for sugar-free candies with Xylitol, KEEP THEM AWAY FROM YOUR PETS. Xylitol is highly toxic to our fur babies and can even be fatal. Always check the labels of your candies and foods to make sure its safe to have around your animals.
Another tip, this one from my personal dentist, is to use an anticavity oral rinse, like TheraBreath, daily when you plan to have a lot of candy around. Not a bad idea to have some in your medicine cabinet during the holiday season.
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