October is one of those months, like February, when people eat a lot of candy. November and December up the candy ante too, as people use up whatever candy corn they didn’t finish on Halloween and move over to chocolate Santas, Christmas cookies, and candy canes.
The odd thing about being a dentist is that we like it when our patients don’t create work for us. We want you to have healthy teeth! We also realize that eating candy comes with modern life, and we enjoy it every now and then ourselves. But what sort of candy is the worst of all, a candy that you should totally stay away from?
Is it Sticky?
Sticky candies like taffy and gummies stay on the teeth a lot longer than other types of candy simply because of how they’re made. Chewing them often gets sugar stuck between your teeth, and that’s a primary place for cavity-causing bacteria to grow outside the reach of your toothbrush. If you like sticky candy, dental floss needs to be your daily friend.
Is it Long-Lasting?
Suckers, lollipops, jawbreakers, and other long-lasting candies extend the sweet delight by lasting a long time. That means your teeth are exposed to a constant cascade of bacteria boosting sugar, with little time in between for your saliva to clear your mouth. If you have a habit of sucking one sucker after another, or popping caramels in your mouth throughout the day, it’s like giving your oral bacteria a steady dose of steroids. They will do a number on your tooth enamel!
It is Sour?
Sour candies come in all varieties. Gummies, jawbreakers, chewing gum, suckers, and taffy have all been boosted with various types of acid and sugar combinations. The problem is, sour candies have an extremely low pH, meaning they can approach the acidity of battery acid! Your tooth enamel can only take so much acidic candy before it literally starts wearing away in chemical reactions that your saliva can only do so much to prevent.
So What’s the Worst Candy?
Imagine a candy that is sticky, long-lasting, and sour. They’re out there! They exist! People eat them on a regular basis, and your Placerville dentists see the results. We won’t name any names or manufacturers, because new candies come out all the time, more extreme than the last. Just keep in mind that if you have a habit of eating sticky, sour, long-lasting candies, your teeth will pay the price.
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