Trick or Treat

Was your kiddo on a sugar high last night? Do you have pounds of candy left to dig into? Well, if you have braces or if your child does, here are sweets to avoid to help stay on their proper orthodontic path:

Bubble gum: As much fun as it is to blow bubbles, this sticky candy can get caught on braces and pull them off. Additionally, the sugar in the gum can get behind braces and cause cavities or tooth decay.

Suckers: These candies don’t seem as bad as many others, but the temptation to bite and chew on these rock-hard treats can be too much for some children. Chewing on hard candies can dislodge braces.

Caramels, taffy or other chewy candies: Just like bubble gum, these kinds of candies can get stuck and pull braces out of their brackets.

Here are some candies that they can enjoy (in moderation) after trick-or-treating:

Chocolate bars without nuts: Hershey bars, Kit Kat Bars and Three Musketeers are all on the safe list for kids with braces. The chocolate is soft and the “melt in your mouth” quality won’t have any effect on your child’s braces.

Small, soft chocolate candies: Plain M&Ms or Malt Balls pass the test because they are small enough that kids can pop them in their mouths without biting down and disrupting appliances.

Read my full article in the Express-News at: http://bit.ly/1aradgd.