The Worst Halloween Candy for Kids’ Teeth

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It’s the day after Halloween …and you have LOTS OF CANDY! We don’t want to be downers, but the reality is, there are certain kinds of candy that are particularly bad for your kids’ teeth. Paula Hendrickson has written an excellent Healthgrades online article entitled, “Worst Candies for Kids’ Teeth,” in which she reviews literature on the impact of these particular candies on your kiddos. We have summarized her article below.

Hard Candies:

  1. They dissolve slowly and therefore coat teeth in sugar for a long time.
  2. When bitten, hard candies leave little fragments of crunched-up candy on and between your teeth, making it difficult even for a toothbrush or floss to remove.
  3. Some hard candies are hard enough to damage tooth enamel and braces when bitten.

Taffy/Chewy Candies (jellybeans, gummies, candy corn & licorice):

  1. Taffy sticks for a long time in those little nooks and crannies where cavities like to form.
  2. They are tough on braces.

Sour Candy:

  1. These contain higher levels of acidity than other sweets, and these acids can eat away at tooth enamel, making cavities more likely.
  2. They also contain sugar, corn syrup or fructose, making them bad for your teeth in more than one way.

Cotton Candy:

  1. This is one of the very stickiest candies.
  2. When it melts, it instantly coats your teeth with sugar.

Toffee (Almond Toffee & Peanut Brittle):

  1. These contain the same risks as hard candy.
  2. Candy-coated nuts get caught in the crevices of your teeth.
  3. Sometimes small pieces of nutshells can find their way into the candy mixture, which could crack or damage teeth.

Bubblegum:

  1. Sugary bubblegum stays chewy longer than most types of gum, and because of that, kids tend to chew on its sugars longer.
  2. Any kind of gum can cause damage to braces.

Conclusion:

We want your kids to enjoy sugary treats from time to time, but the above candy can be particularly problematic for their teeth. Consider other alternatives like chocolate that melts faster and limits sugar exposure on your kids’ teeth. So let them indulge a bit, but also wisely!

Reference:

Hendrickson, Paula. Worst Candies for Kids’ Teeth. Healthgrades. November 7, 2021. https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/oral-health/worst-candies-for-kids-teeth?cid=63emHLN102124BONUS.