The Ultimate Guide to Braces-Friendly Halloween Candy

We love to see you, but we don’t want it to be because of an orthodontic emergency if we can help you avoid it. So before you pop a bracket or break a wire, let’s lay out the best candy and snacks for Halloween and the ones you should avoid! 

Here Are the Best Candies to Eat When You Have Braces

Good news! Some of the best Halloween candies are actually safe to eat with braces! So if your bag is full of 3 Musketeers or Reese’s, you’re good to go! Just make sure you skip the bars with nuts. 

Here’s a list of some of the best candies and treats you can eat while wearing braces.

• Reese’s Pieces
• KitKats
• Reese’s Peanut butter cups
• 3 Musketeers and other soft chocolate-only bars 
• Plain or peanut butter M&Ms (NOT peanut M&Ms)
• Chocolate bars (no nuts)
• Soft cookies (no nuts)
• Ritz Bits mini crackers
• Cheez-It mini crackers
• Cheese puffs

While these candies should be safe, remember to take it slow with anything that feels chewy or sticky. Also, be sure to brush and floss your teeth afterward. Otherwise, the sugar can linger and become plaque and acids that can cause tooth decay. 

Halloween Treats to Avoid With Braces

Unless you really, really want to see us for an emergency visit, there are some Halloween treats you’ll need to avoid while you’re in braces. Basically, if it’s hard, sticky, chewy, or extra crunchy, there’s a chance it could damage your braces — so avoid those foods.

If you find these in your Halloween candy, find a friend to trade them for something from the list above:

• Taffy
• Chewy candies (Tootsie Rolls, Sugar Daddies, Sugar Babies)
• Caramels (including Sugar Daddies, Sugar Babies, Milk Duds)
• Caramel or candy apples
• Jerky
• Candy or chocolate with nuts (Snickers, Mounds, etc.)
• Popcorn and popcorn balls
• Nuts
• Gum
• Hard candies (Nerds, Jolly Ranchers, Butterscotch, Peppermints)
• Suckers
• Candy corn and jelly beans
• Jelly candies (Dots, Swedish Fish, Gummy anything)
• Doritos or any hard, crunchy chips

What’s the problem? Sticky foods like Tootsie Rolls and taffy can get stuck around your braces, which can loosen or pop brackets. Hard foods can also pop off brackets. Tortilla chips, nuts, or hard candies can break wires. This usually means an emergency visit to Northwest Orthodontics for repairs — which is no way to spend your Halloween!