Candy – what’s best for our teeth?

Halloween is right around the corner and we all deserve a sweet treat! But how can candy affect our teeth? Here are some helpful tips from Bite Size Pediatric Dentistry when choosing and eating candy.

1. Drink tons of water! While all sugary treats (candy and snacks) can aid in the formation of cavities, drinking water when eating treats can help rinse away some of the sugar on our teeth if we aren’t able to brush immediately after. 
2. Try to limit candy eating to meal time – our saliva production increases when eating, so if you want to eat some yummy candy after a meal, the extra saliva produced can help rinse away left over candy particles and reduce the acid naturally produced by bacteria in our mouth
3. Choose wisely! While sticky candies like gummy candies or taffy are delicious, they stick to our teeth! These sticky chewy candies stick to the grooves of our teeth and aren’t as easy for our mouth to naturally cleanse with saliva. Chocolate candies melt in our mouths and don’t stick to the tooth surface as easily, so if you are looking for a quick sweet snack, reach for the chocolate bar! Did you know that dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate or white chocolate? This makes it a great sweet treat that is more easily rinsed off our teeth and contains less sugar – win, win!
4. Try to avoid biting into hard candies like suckers or jawbreakers. When biting into hard candies we risk cracking or damaging our teeth!

It’s okay to enjoy candy – even pediatric dentists enjoy candy every once in a while! Just make sure to brush and floss your teeth afterwards 🙂