Candies to Avoid with Braces

We love seeing our patients, but don’t want it to be because you popped a bracket or broke a wire while trying to enjoy your Halloween! We know it can be difficult to resist eating some of those delicious candies on the no-eat list. To help you choose treats that won’t damage your braces, we’ve put together a list of alternatives for candies to avoid with braces.

Chewy Chocolate and Caramel Candies

We advise avoiding any chewy candies like tootsie rolls, taffy, sugar daddies, milk duds, and candy apples. If you’re craving chocolate, this may be the easiest area to find great replacements! Instead of chewy candies that can stick to your brackets, opt for the following:

• Chocolate candies like plain m&m’s, chocolate bars with no nuts, Hershey kisses, soft chocolate only bars like 3 Muskateers and Kit Kats
• Baked goods like soft cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts, and pie
• Soft treats like ice cream with no caramel ribbons or nuts, pudding, and milkshakes

Hard or Jelly Fruit Candies

We know how tempting some of these fruity candies can be during Halloween. But avoiding these candies is a small price to pay for your amazing new smile. Problematic hard candies include nerds, jolly ranchers, butterscotch, and lollipops. There are many chewy candies to avoid like dots, Swedish fish, gummy bears and worms, candy corn, jelly beans, licorice, sour patch kids, starburst, skittles, and airheads. Try some of these tasty fruit-flavored snacks instead:

• Fruity drinks like smoothies and apple cider
• Soft treats like Jell-O
• Powdered candy like pixy stix or fun dip (without biting the hard candy stick)

Nuts, Popcorn, and Chips

Hard savory snacks like popcorn, Doritos, and pizza crusts are never a good idea with braces. You should also avoid nuts or candies containing nuts like peanut m&m’s, snickers, mounds, almond joy, and macadamia nut cookies. Instead, go for nut-flavored or softer savory treats:

• Peanut butter candies like peanut butter m&m’s, Reese’s pieces, or peanut butter cups
• Cheese puffs
• Crackers like ritz bits mini crackers or cheez-it mini crackers that don’t require much chewing

Gum and Hard Minty Candies

Gum and hard minty candies can wreak havoc on your braces. Bubble gum, peppermints, and lifesavers are sure to stick to your brackets or bend a wire. If you want something that is minty fresh, try:

• Soft mints that melt in your mouth
• Mint chocolate
• Listerine strips

We hope this delicious list of alternatives to candies to avoid with braces will help you have a safe and enjoyable Halloween!