How to Manage Your Leftover Halloween Candy

With the Halloween season officially at a close, you’re probably near to making meal preparations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Chances are though, if your kids stocked up on Halloween candy or you still have candy left over from passing them out, you may have a lot of candy laying around for a while. Instead of consuming all this candy in a small about of time, considering finishing off the remainder of that candy in an intentional way. Eating sweets in a thoughtful way with your health and dental hygiene in mind is the best way to approach Halloween candy and the treats that come with this time of the year.

Store Candy in a Mindful Place

First, it’s important to know that most Halloween candy will be good for 6 months to a year after the 31st. So the good news is that you can avoid buying more sweets at the grocery store for a while. Being intentional with where you store your Halloween candy will help ensure that you keep candy consumption to a schedule. Keeping candy in a single location will also help with this. Storing candy in a jar or even a bowl in the kitchen, perhaps on the top shelf of a pantry,  would be a good idea to avoid binge sessions.

Candies to NEVER eat

Though consuming a lot of sweet treats isn’t good for anyone’s health or dental hygiene, they tend to come naturally with this time of year. With that being said though, there are some candies that you should avoid entirely. Fruit flavored candies are made up of enormous amounts of cornstarch and sugars and chemicals like “tapioca dextrin” and “titanium dioxide” which aren’t close to actual foods. Candy that contains things like chocolate and peanut butter is better than candies that are made entirely of pure sugar. Sugar is acidic in nature, so an excess amount will break down your tooth enamel and can cause tooth decay. So, while a Hershey’s bar isn’t the healthiest thing to eat, it can be the better option for your teeth if you do get a sweet craving.

If you wear braces, avoid candy that is crunchy as well. Candy with nuts or something that is sticky like caramel may be hard on the teeth and braces. Biting into something crunchy can break off brackets or wires and can ruin braces, interrupting progress on your orthodontic work. Talk to your Ohio orthodontist if you have concerns about what specific foods to avoid during this season.

Limit Halloween Candy Before Bed

Eating candy right before bed can negatively affect your sleep schedule and dental hygiene. The sugar that is in candy is likely to keep you up later than you want, but it can also lead to cavities. If you do get a sweet tooth before bed, try eating no later than an hour before you want to sleep. Digestion can keep you awake. Also, sugars from candy can linger on your teeth overnight, sometimes even if you do brush afterward. Try limiting yourself to one to two pieces and make sure to brush your teeth before going to bed. Additionally, flossing and rinsing will help to protect your teeth for any sugars that want to stick around.

At Weiss & Tor Orthodontics, we care about keeping your teeth healthy during this time of year. Enjoy leftover Halloween candy and indulge in just a few sweet treats over the Holidays, just keep your dental hygiene in mind. If you encounter any orthodontic problems contact us! We offer orthodontic services for your whole family.