According to Brooklyn Orthodontist, Dr. Polina Ingberman from Brace Central, there are a number of candies one should avoid while wearing braces.
We all love candy. There’s nothing like a candy bar filled with caramel and nuts to brighten our day, but when you’re wearing braces, it’s best to avoid certain temptations.
Caramel – this soft, sticky confection is number one on our list of candies to avoid. Not only does it stick to the braces, but you can break a bracket or a wire while chewing it. Most importantly, how embarrassing would it be to have your braces removed only to find that little bit of caramel still attached to your gums from last Halloween? Ew!
- Salt Water Taffy – just like caramel, taffy is soft and sticky and can easily wrap around wires or brackets, and break them. And who wants to see this colorful string of sugar wrapped around your braces when you smile?
- Blow Pops –biting into the hard candy outside can break a bracket or a wire, and once you’ve bitten through, you now have a wad of gum in your mouth that will get entangled in your braces.
- Jolly Ranchers – like blow pops, these small, hard candies are impossible not to crunch. Avoid them unless you want a trip to the orthodontist to stop a broken wire from poking your cheek.
- Gummy bears/Gummy anything –like caramel and salt water taffy, gummy bears will stick to brackets and wires. And honestly, no one wants to look at a gummy bear massacre in your mouth.
- Peanut brittle – you should avoid this candy unless you want an unscheduled trip to the orthodontist for broken brackets, broken wires, or let’s be honest, maybe broken teeth.
- Candy coated treats, i.e., Skittles/M&Ms – the candy coating can get caught in between the braces, irritating your gums. No one wants swollen, red gums.
- Gum – gum is the biggest culprit of broken wires and brackets, latching on to braces and sticking like glue.
- Popcorn/Popcorn Balls – not only can the sticky sugar and corn syrup break a bracket or wire, but the popcorn kernels can get caught between your braces and irritate your gums. There’s nothing worse than having popcorn kernels poking your gums.
- Candy bars with nuts – our final candy to avoid is candy bars with nuts in them. While the chocolate may melt, the nuts can become lodged in your braces, creating an irritation when it rubs against your gums.
It’s not easy avoiding all of the temptations on this list, but just remember, if you follow Dr. Ingberman’s advice, in a short period of time you will have the most beautiful smile and then you can indulge in all your favorites guilt-free!