HEALTHLINE – Many people indulge in candy on Halloween, but several popular types can pose risks to your teeth.
A report found the following candy to be the most dangerous for teeth.
- Jawbreaker
- Jolly Rancher
- Bit-O-Honey
- Starburst
- Tootsie Roll
- Laffy Taffy
- Snickers
- Atomic Fireball
- Butterfinger
- Blow Pops and Milk Duds
Parents noted that they were not fans of Jawbreaker, often revered as a “jaw-breaking” hard candy.
“I agree these candies are either harder than or stickier than any other natural or healthy food options,” said Lenz Galbreath. “Biting into one of these hard or sticky candies can break a tooth and cause severe tooth pain.”
Sucking on hard candy or a mint every hour isn’t a good idea, either.
“Doing that, you are basically keeping the pH lowered all day and setting yourself up for decay,” said Amy Sliwa Lies, DDS, owner of FiveSix Family Dental in Illinois.
When it comes to candy that gets stuck in Americans teeth most often, the report found the following to be the biggest culprits:
- Laffy Taffy
- Bit-O-Honey
- Tootsie Roll
- Salt Water Taffy
- Jolly Rancher
- Milk Duds
- Jelly Beans
- Gummy Bears
- AirHeads
- Starburst
Any hard candy or sticky candy that stays in the mouth for a long time can cause damage.
“Part of the equation for causing cavities is how long the pH is lowered. A piece of chocolate dissolves quickly, and you swallow it, and then your saliva works to return the oral environment to a normal pH,” said Sliwa Lies.
“Hard and sticky candies that remain in your mouth a long time keep the pH lowered for longer, thus eroding the enamel more” …
