How to “Halloween” with Braces

For all of the trick-or-treaters or parents of trick-or-treaters out there, your friends here at Local Orthodontics have some tips to help you survive Halloween with a cool costume, no cavities, and no braces repairs!

Good news first: Braces won’t stop your child from trick-or-treating. Parents, you won’t have a sad child on Halloween night.

Not so good news: It’s true that not all of the Halloween candy is still on the table if your child has braces. Kids may have to make some trade deals with friends in order for them to maximize their braces-friendly snack arsenal.

Let’s dive into the best Halloween costumes with braces, the Halloween candy that is certified braces-friendly, and the ones that aren’t so braces-friendly.

Braces-Friendly Costume Ideas

This Halloween, your braces are the perfect accessory! Check out these costume ideas for people with braces:

1. Darla – Finding Nemo
   Darla may be the first braces-wearing character that comes to mind for most. Her braces, headgear and fish-in-a-bag look is iconic! All you need is a purple sweatshirt, a fake fish, temporary freckles and two pigtails to bring this character to life. Your braces will make it almost too believable.
2. Eliza – Wild Thornberries
   Eliza is the quirky jungle adventurer! She sports braces, bright red hair with two pigtails, freckles, glasses and a travel backpack. Both Darla and Eliza are easy characters to pull off with braces and a funky hairstyle.
3. Sid – Toy Story
   Everybody recognizes the maniac Sid from Toy Story! His dark appearance, skull shirt, black Converse shoes, leather studded wristband and mouthful of braces are easy to replicate for any charismatic braces-wearer out there. Just carry around a disconfigured toy and you’re good to go.
4. Kip – Napoleon Dynamite
   There was no way we could leave Kip out of this list. Kip may be the easiest character to replicate with braces—and he’s a crowd favorite. Napoleon’s big brother has a few recognizable looks. All you need is a light blue or yellow polo shirt, a pair of round glasses, khakis and a fake mustache. You already have the iconic braces!

Best Candy for Braces

Now that you know what to wear on Halloween night, what can you eat? Check out these braces-friendly Halloween candies and snacks!

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
2. Hershey’s chocolate bars
3. Hershey’s kisses
4. Three Musketeers
5. Ice cream
6. Ice cream sandwiches
7. Soft cookies without nuts: Sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies
8. Cupcakes
9. Kit Kat bars
10. Milky Way
11. Jelly beans

Almost all chocolate is still on the table, unless it has nuts or a super gooey center.

Now let’s face the bad news. Which candies should you avoid with braces?

Worst Candy for Braces

1. Hard candies: Biting into a sucker, jawbreaker, Jolly Rancher, Runt or Life Saver could land you right in our exam chair with a broken bracket or loose wire. Not only can some hard candies damage your braces, but they can also damage your teeth! Be extra careful with hard Halloween candy and avoid it as much as possible.
2. Sticky candies: Those sticky candies that require some serious chewing – you know the ones – should be donated to your friends’ bags this Halloween. A Laffy Taffy, Starburst, Now & Later or caramel-filled candy can stick to your brackets and wires, get lodged between your teeth and braces, or pull a wire loose while you’re chewing.
3. Nuts: Snickers, peanut M&M’s, PayDay, Peanut Brittle, and chocolate-covered almonds unfortunately come with some risks when you have braces. Nuts are infamous for getting stuck in wires and stuck between teeth. Similar to hard candy, biting down on a nut can disrupt your treatment and require a replacement bracket.

Here’s to “Halloweening” with Caution

We’re here to help you navigate the holidays with braces, so you can stay festive, spooky, cavity-free and braces-damage-free.

A broken bracket or loose wire isn’t the only thing to worry about with Halloween candy. As we all know, candy has a lot of sugar—and sugar can mean cavities. It’s important that anyone who participates in the Halloween candy festivities commits to a thorough oral hygiene routine on Hallween night.

After you enjoy a handful of candies, give your teeth a break! Go rinse your mouth out with water and brush your teeth. Rinsing your mouth out and cleaning your teeth can prevent the sugars from building up and creating a harmful environment in your mouth.

The longer you leave sugar on your teeth, the more damage it does. Even a mouthful of water can help cleanse your teeth and reduce the acid damage.

Don’t go to sleep without flossing either! You want to make sure you’re not leaving any sugars between your teeth to build up overnight; that’s how cavities form.

We’re not advising that you don’t eat any candy this Halloween. That would be a crime. We just want to help you make the best decisions, so you can prevent harmful effects that can derail you from your treatment, or even worse, require a dental repair.

Happy (almost) Halloween from your favorite orthodontist and team at Local Orthodontics. If you have any questions about acceptable candies or you have a question about your child’s treatment, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We love hearing from you.

We’re here to guide you through your treatment process, from your very first visit, to your last appointment – and every holiday that falls in between.

If you’re looking for a top orthodontist in Johnson City, Dr. Jewett and our team, we’d love to meet you! Request a complimentary exam for you or your child today.