Halloween wouldn’t be the same without treats. No matter what your age, if you wear braces you can still enjoy Halloween. You just may want to take a few precautions to prevent damaging the wires and brackets of your braces.
Generally, All Hallows’ Eve treats that are soft and easy for you to chew shouldn’t threaten your braces. Unfortunately, caramel apples may be one of the worst treats for your braces. As an alternative, you can slice apples into wedges and enjoy them with soft caramel sauce. Other braces friendly treats as recommended by the American Association of Orthodontists include:
- Peanut butter cups
- Soft chocolates
- Ice cream
- Milk shakes
Although you may not find some of these treats among your trick-or-treat stash, you can prepare for Halloween by buying these treats ahead of time. Milk shakes, parfaits and soft cupcakes are great treats to share at parties.
You should pass on sticky, hard and crunchy treats. For the sake of your braces, foods to avoid on that ghoulish evening should include:
- Hard caramel
- Tootsie Rolls
- Nuts
- Taffy
- Toffee
- Hard, chewy candy
Enjoying treats that won’t harm your braces will protect the health and beauty of your smile, and prevent the need for braces repairs.
If you live in or nearby Denver, Colorado and would like to learn more about braces from our experienced dentist Dr. Robert Rudman, please contact Cherry Creek Orthodontics to schedule a consultation.