Skip to main content

Worst Candies for Dental Care

Halloween is Here which Means so are the Worst Candies for Dental Care

What Kind of Candy Can’t I Eat After a Dental Extraction?

Halloween is almost here again. Soon the sidewalks will be full of small-sized superheroes, villains, witches, and more. For the little ones’ teeth (and their parents) the truly scary thing about October 31 is not ghosts and goblins, but the candy they’re collecting. Suckers, chocolate bars, caramel, and candy corn, soon it will all be coming home with your kids. It’s no secret that dentists aren’t fans of candy, but why is candy so bad for dental care?

Candy And Dental Health

Sugar is hard on teeth because kids aren’t the only ones who love to eat the stuff. The bacteria that cause cavities thrive on sugar, so any time you’re enjoying a sweet treat those destructive microbes are loving it too. While no sugar is good for teeth, there is such thing as a “worst” candy for dental care. Chewy candies like caramel and taffy stick to the teeth. It’s hard for saliva to wash this candy away, so that sugar is pressed into place against the teeth longer, feeding those bacteria.

Hard candies are also especially bad for teeth because people tend to hold them in their mouths for a long time. This keeps the sugar levels high, again encouraging decay. Another problem is when people bite into these candies, which can cause painful cracking and chips in teeth. Acidic candies, like sour gummies, are also very bad for your teeth because the acid damages your enamel.

Can You Have Any Candy After Oral Surgery?

If you’ve recently had a tooth removed, you may worry that Halloween is going to be a sugar-free event for you. But don’t worry; you can still enjoy a few treats, as long as you’re careful. Remember that your mouth is healing, so you don’t want to injure it. Avoid hard, crunchy candies like peanut brittle, so you don’t poke tender tissues. Sticky candies require a lot of pressure to chew, so you should stay away from those too. You also want to avoid candy that is too acidic, which can irritate tissues.

To be gentle on your mouth after an extraction, choose soft candies, like small marshmallows. Little pieces of chocolate melt satisfyingly on your tongue. Pick a few safe treats and really enjoy them. No candy is worth risking your dental health!

Peak OMS is Denver’s choice for oral and maxillofacial surgery. Our Lakewood office is easy to get to from downtown Denver. For more information, contact our oral surgery team today.

Comments are closed.

click for interactive map showing office locations
Click to open and close visual accessibility options. The options include increasing font-size and color contrast.