This time, we look at the “top 5 candies to avoid with braces.” However, this doesn’t mean that you have to avoid treats altogether. On the other hand, some candies are notoriously bad news for braces, damaging them by getting stuck in the wires and brackets.
We understand the concerns of candy lovers with braces and offer valuable advice on enjoying sweets while maintaining oral health. Discover the best practices for candy and braces at Newcastle Orthodontics, where we combine cutting-edge techniques with compassionate care to give you a smile you deserve.
To help determine which candy is safe and which is not, ask yourself if the item is:
- Hard
- Sticky
- Chewy
- Crunchy
As with other foods, if an item falls into one of these categories, it’s probably best avoided during treatment. However, when your treatment is completed, then you can enjoy all your favorites again.
As always, limiting sugary foods to occasional treats is a good idea to help maintain overall oral health.
Top 5 Candies to Avoid with Braces
We’ll look at our top 5 candies that can wreak havoc on braces, but there are plenty of others. For a list of more candies to watch out for, please see the American Association of Orthodontists’ recommendations.
Jawbreakers
As noted, it’s best to look out for hard foods of any kind, and jawbreakers (also called Gobstoppers) are extremely hard. So, their name precedes them, and they can damage teeth if you bite them, with or without braces.
While the Everlasting Gobstopper might have seemed amazing in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, any jawbreaker or similar hard candy is a nightmare for your teeth.
As you suck on jawbreakers, they dissolve to reveal different colors. Thus, it encourages kids to keep them in their mouths for a long time, sometimes for days for very large ones. As the sugars stay in contact with teeth, cavities will follow.
For those with braces, cavities increase because it’s harder to brush and floss. Worse, if you bite down, you may plan an emergency visit to fix a broken wire or loose bracket.
Caramel Popcorn
Next on our top 5 candies to avoid with braces we have caramel popcorn. Individually, caramel is notorious for getting stuck in braces. We’re unsure if caramel, Tootsie Rolls, or taffy is worse, so we’ll consider them all equal. All by themselves, one should avoid these sticky treats.
However, caramel popcorn is even worse because it features both caramel and popcorn. Unfortunately, popcorn kernels always manage to get stuck in your teeth, even without braces. So Caramel Popcorn is a double whammy for those with braces.
Candied nuts
Next, we have another double whammy: candied nuts on our top 5 candies to avoid with braces. As a hard, crunchy food, nuts and seeds are a big problem for braces. On the other hand, peanut butter that is all soft and not crunchy can be enjoyed safely.
Now, combine hard nuts and a candy coating, such as Peanut Brittle, and we have a real loser for braces. Not only will the candy promote cavities, but the nuts will manage to take every opportunity to get stuck in your braces.
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Blow Pops
Our next item on our top 5 candies to avoid with braces is also double trouble. Here, we have a hard candy lollipop (also out) with bubble gum, a top contender for the stickiest mess regarding braces.
With any lollipop, you have hard candy on a stick perfect for poking around in your mouth. Obviously, that’s not a great idea with braces. However, it only gets more interesting when you dissolve the lollipop to reveal the bubble gum inside. From there, one can expect gooey threads of gum to entangle every surface of your braces.
Needless to say, if you have a Blow Pop with braces, you could regret the choice.
Sour Candy of Any Kind
Lastly, we include sour candy on our list of top 5 candies to avoid with braces. In any form, sour candy is notoriously bad for your teeth. Popular names include Sour Patch, Lemonhead, Warheads, and even Toxic Waste.
Although colorful with an intense fruit and tart flavor, excess sour candy is bad news. As supermodel Chrissy Teigen experienced, eating sour candy followed by Blow Pops can cause tongue peeling.
Unfortunately, the acids in sour candy that make you pucker also promote bad bacteria. An acidic blend of ingredients gives sour candies their sandy coating and a pH level comparable to battery acid. Manufacturers may use a mixture of citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, and fumaric acid.
As you might expect, such acidic, sweet candy will erode tooth enamel and promote cavities. If you’re wearing braces, the candy will also get stuck in hard-to-reach places, making matters much worse for your teeth. Imagine applying enamel-dissolving acid to your teeth, and you get a general idea.
Although this is not a complete list, our “top 5 candies to avoid with braces” should help you decide what type of candies are out and what candy you can eat with braces. By knowing what to avoid, your treatment will go faster, and you’ll have your dream smile before you know it.
As the American Association of Orthodontists suggests, try soft treats when you get a craving. For example, plain chocolate with no nuts, marshmallows, and soft peanut butter.
Orthodontic Excellence provides top-quality, affordable orthodontic care in the Newcastle, WA areas. As always, you can reach us by phone.
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