Surviving Halloween Candy

Posted October 23, 2017.

It’s October again. The time of Halloween candy has begun. Sachs Family Dental doesn’t necessarily want you to feel fully deprived, but before you treat yourself, it’s helpful to know what you are getting yourself into.

As you likely know, the primary component of candy is sugar. The bacteria in your mouth use sugar as fuel, converting it into acid. The acid then wears away at your teeth, exposing it to further decay. Here are specifics on what each kind of candy can do:

Hard Candy: This can actually crack your teeth if you aren’t careful. Alternatively, if you suck on it for a while, the sugar can get in your saliva and wash all over your mouth, removing the cleansing effects of the saliva.

Sticky Candy: Sticky candy can hold fast to the chewing surfaces of your teeth, giving bacteria more chances to feed.

Sour Candy: This tends to be tremendously acidic. In fact, the effects of some kinds of sour candy are analogous to that of battery acid.

Chocolate: Chocolate may be the safest choice. That’s because it is less of a problem for your saliva to clean off your teeth. Dark chocolate is a better option than milk chocolate because it has less sugar.

October would be an excellent time for you to visit us at Sachs Family Dental in Orem, Utah for a dental cleaning! Just phone 801-225-4701 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Steven Sachs today where our professionals will give you the best care for you and your smile, even if it has fangs!