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Whether you have teenagers getting their first pair of braces or you’re an adult who is straightening your teeth for a healthier-looking smile, resisting favorite treats is never easy. You may wonder what kind of candies can you eat with braces, if any.
It may surprise you to know that quite a few sweets are braces-friendly. Knowing which to choose, as well as those to avoid, helps to maintain your dental health as our team at Peterson Family Ortho works to improve your smile.
What Kind of Candy Can You Eat With Braces as An Adult?
More adults than ever wear braces now and make up more than 30% of patients currently undergoing this orthodontic treatment. If you count yourself among them but still want to indulge your sweet tooth, consider a few factors before making a choice:
- Stickiness of the candy
- If the candy is difficult to bite through
- Crunchiness
- Texture
Opting for softer candies, such as those with a light or whipped filling, can protect your braces. A few safe candy bars include 3 Musketeers, plain peanut butter cups, and Kit Kats.
What Types of Halloween Candy Are Unsafe for Kids’ Braces?
For most kids, the best part of Halloween is all the yummy treats they bring home.
If your children have braces and you worry about the candy causing breakage, go through their cache before they dig in and remove hard or sticky treats like chips, popcorn balls, caramel apples, taffy, and gum. All of these can cause damage to the wires and brackets in your children’s braces.
You can prevent Halloween disappointment by making your kids Halloween treat bags at home. Fill them with soft chocolate candies, peanut butter cups of all sizes, cookies, and marshmallow candies. Homemade candy bags offer all the fun of collecting yummy Halloween treats without the worry over broken braces.
What Kind of Candy Can You Not Eat With Braces?
Some types of candies are likely to harm braces, especially those that are difficult to break into small pieces or that have an extremely chewy or gummy texture.
Licorice
Any type of licorice, including Twizzlers and Red Vines, can break braces’ brackets and get stuck in the wires. The dyes that give red licorice its color can also stain the elastic used inside braces, and licorice that unravels into long ropes or strings can tangle in the hardware as well.
Taffy
Properly cleaning your teeth with braces includes brushing the braces’ brackets and flossing with a floss threader, but you can also prevent candies from getting stuck in your teeth and braces to begin with by avoiding extremely chewy candy like taffy.
The sticky texture, combined with a damagingly long chew, makes for a risky combination for you or your kids who wear braces.
Nerds
Nerds are tiny, crunchy candies in neon colors. The original boxes usually contain two flavors per package, but the candy comes in other forms including gummy, rope, and large chewy Nerds. Either type, crunchy or chewy, can cause damage to your braces.
In addition, the original tiny candies can hide in the brace work and cause discoloration, as Nerds contain several artificial dyes.
Tough Nougat Candy
Most nougat-based candy tends to have a chewy texture, but some, such as Big Hunk, have an extremely tough chew. Working to tear off a bite can risk breaking your braces or even a tooth, which will set your dental improvement process back.
Can You Eat Caramel With Braces?
Caramel is one of America’s favorite flavors, with social media users mentioning caramel 2.74% more often than in 2023. However, you may want to steer clear of this popular candy if you want to protect your braces.
Caramel candy comes in many forms, from chocolate bonbons with a flavored center to hard candies and candy bars like Twix. No matter the texture, caramel candy can damage the wires in your braces or become stuck in the brackets. Even soft caramels tend to grow sticker as you eat them, which increases the risk of breakage.
Can You Eat Gummies With Braces?
Most gummies have a soft texture that may seem safe for braces, but some brands can stick to the teeth and the hardware in your braces once they break down.
It’s also common for bits of gummy candy to hide in your teeth and contribute to tooth decay. When this happens, you may need additional dental work before our team can continue to straighten your teeth.
While adults and kids alike enjoy gummi bears, these chewy little treats can wreak havoc with your braces. The beeswax and carnauba wax make for an extremely sticky, bouncy type of chew. The original Haribo brand includes added sugar and glucose syrup, both of which can contribute to tooth decay.
Can You Eat Chocolate With Braces?
One of the most popular types of candy, chocolate appears in nearly endless forms, choices, and flavors that satisfy many different types of cravings. When it comes to chocolate, what candies can you eat with braces safely? Most soft chocolates are unlikely to harm your dental hardware, which is probably good news for you and your family.
When you browse the candy aisle, to prevent broken brackets and twisted wires, avoid chocolate treats with tough textures or those with hard nuts in their centers, such as:
- Peanut M&Ms
- Almond Hershey’s Kisses
- Ferrero Rocher
- Toblerone
Plain chocolate bars and soft chocolates that you might find in an assorted box of bonbons are not likely to cause harm to your braces, but check the ingredients before you buy to ensure your selection is nut- and caramel-free.
Let Us Handle Your Family’s Braces
What candies can you eat with braces? Getting straight teeth doesn’t have to mean giving up all sweet indulgences, but choose carefully to preserve the hardware and your oral health. When you want to make wise choices for you and your San Tan Valley family, contact us today at Peterson Family Ortho and put your braces in our capable hands.