If you’re reading this on Halloween night, or even the day after Halloween, chances are you’re probably reading leisurely from your phone with a pile of candy resting gently on your stomach. The Great British Baking Show is playing on Netflix in the background as you delightedly inspect the buckets for all the candy your children most definitely should NOT be eating. No? Just me?
Regardless of your particular policy on Halloween goodies, I for one did not take into consideration that this year I would be in adult braces, constituting what may be one of the greatest tragedies of my adult life: a massive haul of candy that I really probably should not be eating. Granted, the sugar rush isn’t great for my cavity-free record on any given year, but in particular braces add another level of difficulty when it comes to indulging in all the Three Musketeers, Now or Laters, and Gobstoppers I want.
I talked to my favorite orthodontists in town, Dr. Ferris and Dr. Hembree of Ferris Orthodontics, to find out how I can manage to survive this most irksome of situations. According to them, the most common candies to avoid at Halloween with braces are any that are gummy, sticky, or hard candies, etc. But of course the doctors recommend everything in moderation, they both love Halloween just like us regular folk, and they want people to celebrate and have fun! It’s more important to just use good judgment on what to eat or not to eat.
Now let’s say you (or your child in braces) goes a little too crazy and chomps down on a Jolly Rancher, only to find that a bracket has broken. Don’t panic! Just call Ferris (or your friendly neighborhood orthodontist if you don’t live in San Antonio) to set an appointment to have it repaired. Be sure to brush regardless of how much you indulge, as sweets are harder to get out of braces and make you more susceptible to cavities. It’s simply harder to brush and floss well when you have braces, but the good news is they HAVE invented special flossers that have one flat edge to fit behind wires and make flossing a possibility between appointments! Ferris also set me up with an additional flouride toothpaste that I use once a day at nighttime, just to really keep the cavities at bay.
Now that I feel more prepared to take on the sugar rush, I’m simply excited for Halloween and remembering that my braces are just creating the need to make some adjustments, not restricting me entirely! And besides, it makes good oral health sense to be smart about the candy intake anyways!
What are you doing for Halloween? Might I suggest the San Antonio Zoo for Zoo Boo if you need a great trick or treat spot? They’ve got tons of activities going on, and the kiddos will RUN from candy station to candy station, which basically negates the impact of all the chocolate, right?! See our photos of our trip on Sunday for all the fun!
XO,
A
P.S. This post was sponsored by Ferris Orthodontics. Don’t worry though, all opinions are my own!
