Watermelon Dental shares Top 5 worst treats for your teeth on Halloween

By KATHRYN FRASER

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Halloween, many trick-or-treaters will receive a variety of different treats from chips to candy to chocolate bars. 

Watermelon Dental knows the harm that candy can cause on teeth and say that there are some treats that are worse than others. 

Here are the top five treats claimed to be the worst for trick-or-treaters. 

Toffies – Tootsie Rolls, Laffy Taffy or anything very sticky. It can break teeth, take out fillings, and it's so sticky that you can't even brush it off your teeth. It sticks to all the little grooves in your teeth. 

Gummies – Gummy bears, sour patch kids etc. because they are also very sticky. Sour gummies also have a combination of being acidic and sweet and the combination of that destroys your enamel. 

Lollipops or anything that stays your mouth a long time. Because then the sugar is in your mouth an extended period.

Candy coating – Skittles, smarties etc. They stick to your teeth and can be difficult to get them off of your teeth. 

Anything that sticks to your teeth – Sweet Tarts, Air Heads, Hot Tamales etc. anything that sticks to your teeth.

However, Dr. Sanj Mohanta says that this doesn't mean you cannot have candy, but there are some that are better than others. 

“You can enjoy Halloween without it harming your teeth very much by sticking to food, sticking to treats that aren't sticking. For example, pure chocolate, like Aero and Hershey, Reese... none of those candies have anything that sticks to your teeth.” 

One thing that Dr. Sanj hopes to help children avoid during Halloween is getting cavities.

While brushing your teeth does help there are a few additional tips and tricks that Dr. Sanj recommends. 

“Since a lot of times the toothbrush can't get it off your teeth, if you eat a hard, crunchy fruits or vegetables, like apples, carrots, cucumbers, after you eat sweets, it helps dislodge it off of your teeth. Hard cheese will neutralize the acid from what you just ate. Also, it helps break down the food. Hard cheese, like cheddar cheese, has something called casein in it, which helps which helps your teeth. Plus, it has calcium and vitamin D. Hard cheese, carrots, cucumbers, apples all act like a natural toothbrush.” 

When it comes to candies such as lollipops Dr. Sanj recommends the 5-minute rule. 

“Instead of sucking on it for a long time, it's better to eat your candy in five minutes than an hour. Because if you eat it in five minutes, the sugar is only exposed to your teeth for five minutes. But if it takes you an hour, then the sugars on your teeth for an hour. With my kids, I used to have a five-minute rule with lollypops,” says Dr. Sanj. 

She also points out that while these five items might seem to be the worst, it doesn't mean that other items will not harm your teeth. 

“Cookies and crackers are also bad for your teeth. People think crackers and chips are okay because they're salty rather than sweet, but they break down to sugar, and they stick to your teeth for a long time. Be careful with chips and crackers,” says Dr. Sanj.

Looking towards Halloween Night, Watermelon Dental will be handing out sugar-free watermelon lollipops and will also be collecting any leftover candy during the week after Halloween and donate to the Caledon Community Services' Food Exchange.