It’s that time of year: trick-or-treating is right around the corner. Whether you’re a teen with braces or an adult who happens to be undergoing orthodontic treatment, you may be planning to enjoy a Snickers or two on Halloween night. Depending on the type of orthodontia you wear, you may need to be more careful about your candy selection. Read below for Dr. Rudman’s tips.
The Worst Candy for Invisalign®
The biggest benefit of choosing Invisalign® is also the reason you’ll love it on Halloween night: it’s completely removable! Technically, this means you could enjoy any and all Halloween treats because you take the aligners out to eat, so they can’t be harmed or dirtied by the candy. Having said that, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- You’ll need to brush after candy. You want to prevent the candy remnants from getting stuck in the aligners once you put them back in. It’s a good idea to brush and floss first, so you may want to incorporate your candy snack with a meal, to limit the number of times you are removing your aligners and brushing each day.
- You’re still just as susceptible to tooth decay. Candy is bad for your teeth regardless of orthodontic treatment. Remember that eating candy may increase your risk for cavities, and enjoy accordingly! Limiting your treat enjoyment to once per day can also reduce the risk of cavities.
- The hassle of removing Invisalign® means you may not want to eat as much candy. Keeping your aligners in as close to 24 hours a day is important. It keeps your treatment on track. For this reason alone, most Invisalign® patients are conscientious about how often they snack. In this way, your orthodontic treatment may prevent you from overdoing it on candy and sweets this year!
Although not everyone is a good candidate for Invisalign®, it is a popular option because it allows you to keep enjoying the same foods and treats despite straightening your teeth. Dr. Rudman can determine if you’re a candidate during an evaluation at our Denver and Stapleton-area practice.
The Worst Candy for Braces
Braces with brackets and wires are another story. Because they can bend, break, dislodge and trap food, you need to exercise a little caution, especially when it comes to Halloween candy:
- Chewy and sticky candies can get stuck between your teeth, in the brackets and around the arch wire (examples include candy bar nougat, caramel and toffee)
- Chewy and sticky candies can pull at your braces brackets and wires, which can loosen or dislodge these components
- Hard and crunchy candies can damage braces, bend wires and dislodge brackets (candies containing nuts, hard toffee, lollipops, hard caramel)
These candy pitfalls apply to traditional metal braces, ceramic braces and Incognito® behind-the-teeth braces.
Call us with Your Orthodontic Questions and Concerns
If you are one of our orthodontic patients and are concerned about how you can enjoy trick-or-treat candy without breaking your braces, please call our staff at 303-331-0222. Remember that braces repair appointments set back your entire treatment, putting you further away from your planned completion date, so keeping your eye on the prize may help you avoid the temptation of crunchy, chewy and sticky candy on Halloween.
