Halloween treats can be a horror for braces

Gentech Dentist

o When: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 3-6; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 7.

o Where: East Vancouver location, 605 S.E. 164th Ave., Suite 103; Salmon Creek location, 14201 N.E. 20th Ave., Suite 1101.

o Details: $1 per pound, up to 10 pounds. Children must be 16 years old or younger and must be accompanied by an adult. Participants will be entered into a drawing for an iPod Touch and will receive a free toothbrush and Burgerville coupon.

Donated candy will be given to Operation Gratitude, which makes holiday packages for troops overseas.

Adventure Dental

o When: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 3-6.

o Where: 900 N.E. 139th St., Suite 106, Vancouver.

o Details: $1 per pound. Candy will be donated to troops overseas.

The sticky sweets and chewy treats of Halloween can cause frightful problems for little goblins wearing dental braces.

But local dentists say trick-or-treaters can minimize problems by avoiding certain types of candies and spending a little extra time cleaning their teeth after indulging in the sweet stuff.

“What really matters the most is texture of the candy and frequency that you eat it,” said Dr. Kara Hobson, an orthodontist at Gentle Dental in Brush Prairie.

Sticky candy can get stuck in the deep pits of the back teeth and cause decay — whether a child wears braces or not, Hobson said. Those with braces, however, have more places where sticky foods can get stuck and expose teeth more to cavities, she said.

Sticky candies, such as taffies, Jolly Ranchers and caramels, can also cause damage to braces, said Dr. David Neil, dentist and orthodontist at Adventure Dental in Salmon Creek.

“Anything that can grab a hold of your orthodontic appliance and pull them off, you want to avoid those,” Neil said.

Those candies stick to the appliances. Then, when the mouth is opened and closed, extra force is put on the appliances. That pressure can cause brackets to break off of teeth, Neil said.

Hard candies, such as jawbreakers, and candies with toffee and nuts can also damage braces, Hobson said. The hard candies can break the brackets off of teeth, she said.

Instead, kids with dental braces should stick to softer chocolate candies. Those dissolve quickly and don’t pull on appliances, Neil said. An even better choice is sugar-free candy made with xylitol, which is a natural sweetener that has been found to help fight tooth decay, he said.

The frequency at which kids are eating Halloween candy is also important to monitor, Neil said.

“Eating a lot of candy all at once, especially during mealtime, is much better than stringing out the candy over days or weeks,” he said.

Sugars and carbohydrates make the mouth more acidic and cause greater decalcification of teeth. That breakdown leads to cavities. Eating candy throughout the day prolongs the amount of time the teeth are exposed to sugar and can cause the mouth to remain in an acidic state all day, Neil said.

Once kids are done eating their Halloween candy, they should spend a little extra time that evening brushing and flossing to remove all of the candy particles caught in braces and around the teeth, Neil said.

Making sure the brackets are cleaned of candy pieces is also important to prevent permanent spots on the teeth, Hobson said. Decalcification causes white spots on the enamel of teeth. Kids who don’t brush well around the brackets may end up with white spots on their teeth that are more visible once the braces are removed, she said.

Should any Halloween treats cause problems for trick-or-treaters with braces, Hobson recommends making an appointment sooner rather than later. Waiting for a regular adjustment appointment, which are typically every four to six weeks, could lengthen the treatment time since broken brackets can allow the teeth to move out of alignment, she said.

“We’re fixing broken brackets for one to two months after Halloween,” Hobson said. “It’s a nightmare.”