With Halloween just around the corner, we know that many of our patients here in Vincennes plan to celebrate with spooky festivities and sugary treats. Candy and other sweets are a particularly important aspect of this holiday. In fact, the National Retail Federation estimates that US consumers will spend $9.1 billion for Halloween with $2.7 billion accounting for candy sales.
Despite candy being a hallmark of Halloween, we’d like to encourage you to think twice about indulging in too many sweets. Consuming high-sugar treats, especially in excess, can be extremely damaging to your smile.
To help minimize dental damage, try being selective with the Halloween candy you choose to consume. Not all candy is created equally and making more informed decisions can help reduce any damage that occurs to your dental health.
The Most Damaging Types of Halloween Candy
Avoiding candy consumption this time of year is practically impossible. However, avoiding certain types of candy can help to minimize damage to your smile. Some of the worst Halloween candies include:
Taffy: While taffy may be a long-time favorite for many Halloween enthusiasts, it’s one of the worst candies for your teeth. Due to the stickiness of taffy, it can easily get stuck to your teeth and wreak havoc.
Twix and Other Caramel-Filled Candies: Do you love the combination of chocolate and caramel in Twix candy? Unfortunately, Twix and other candies filled with caramel are especially damaging to your dental health because caramel can easily get stuck to the teeth. Since caramel is essentially sugar in a gooey form, it will fuel bacteria in the mouth and spur on enamel erosion and tooth decay.
Sour Candy: Sour candies are known to be one of the most damaging types of candy because they contain two harmful ingredients — sugar and acid. The mixture of sugar and acid will cause the breakdown of tooth enamel, which can lead to various other dental health problems down the road.
Starbursts and Other Chewy Candies: Like taffy, the texture of starbursts and other chewy candies make it easy to cling to the teeth. The longer candy and sugar is exposed to your teeth, the more damage can occur, making sticky and chewy candies especially dangerous.
Popcorn Balls: Although most of us would assume popcorn balls are harmless to dental health, this common Halloween snack can be just as damaging as candy. The sharp popcorn husks can get stuck between teeth and irritate the gum tissue.
Contact Herman Family Dentistry
From all of us here at Herman Family Dentistry, we wish you a wonderful and safe Halloween! And if you have any concerns regarding your dental health, we’re here to help!
Whether you need a routine cleaning or restorative treatment with dental implants, we provide top-quality care to give you the healthy, beautiful smile you deserve. Contact our office today to schedule your next appointment with Dr. Herman!