Halloween Can Be Hazardous to People With Braces.
October 22, 2008 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Boys & Girls, Children, Diets and Dieting, Food and Drink, Happy Living Tip, How To
Did you know that more than five million children and adults in North America wear braces ?
For them, Halloween season can be a dangerous time. The hard, chewy, sticky or crunchy candy usually handed out can easily result in damaged or broken braces, a painful and costly experience.
So what’s a brace wearing trick or treater to do?
Well, according to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), people with braces should steer clear of these traditional halloween treats…
* All hard candies
* All chewy candies
* Caramel
* Nuts
* Licorice
* Taffy
* Jelly beans
* Hard pretzels
* Bubblegum
* Popcorn (including unpopped kernels)
* Taco chips
* Ice
Instead they should aim for braces-friendly Halloween treats such as soft chocolate candy, peanut butter cups and thinly sliced apples, dipped in yogurt or creamy chocolate sauce.
If that sounds a little on the boring and tame side, then check out these Brace Friendly Halloween Recipes created by celebrity chef Michael Chiarello…
They’re guaranteed to put the spook back into your Halloween fun.
But make sure you don’t forget to brush and floss after any candy treats. It’s more important than ever during the Halloween season, when teeth may receive more exposure to sweets that can cause cavities.
Great tips. Those braces are expensive.
You are so right James. Braces ain’t cheap. I’d never considered how halloween affects brace wearers before so was a bit of an eye opener for me….
I think it’d be hard to tell my 11 year old they can’t have most of the candy that they are given on Halloween. He brushes twice daily and he now has this thing called the platypus flosser that he uses 3 times per day! He typically doesn’t like hard candy, so we’re good there, but he loves laffy taffy!
Good article, great tips, thanks!