Halloween Candy Rots Your Teeth — More Or Less

Not all candy is created equal.  Duh.  Baby Ruth is way better than Snickers or Milky Way and those little sticks from Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip (forget the sugar powder) are awesome.  But that’s not what dentists care about.  In fact, Dr. Douglas Young, professor of dental practice at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry rates his candy based on the damage it can do to your teeth.  Now, normally, I wouldn’t pay attention to this sort of thing, but since taking kids to the dentist is about as much fun as going myself, I thought this might be some good advice to keep in mind.

At the bottom of Dr. Young’s list we find chewy or sticky candy, such as caramel, taffy, and gummy bears.  “These types of candy can stick to the teeth long after kids are done eating them,” says Dr. Young. “Bacteria in the mouth feed off the sugar in these candies and produce acid, which in turn can cause cavities and other mouth problems.”  Next up is hard candy which has the same problem as the sticky stuff — it’s in the mouth far too long for his liking.  Last in his “Really Bad” category is sour candy whose higher acid content isn’t much fun for teeth.

Better, according to Dr. Young, is chocolate which “is less harmful for teeth than other sugary foods because of a natural anti-bacterial compound in the cocoa bean which ‘cancels out’ some of the harmful effects of sugar in the mouth.”  Who knew?  At the top of the list is candy containing Xylitol, “a naturally-based sugar that actually helps prevent cavities.”  Dr. Young explains that “Bacteria in your mouth are unable to ferment xylitol, thus harmful acids are not produced.”  He does note that Xylitol is not safe for pets, and, since chocolate isn’t either, give the dog the crappy chewy candies and keep the good stuff for yourself, er, I mean for your kids.

Photo: iphis

Related Posts:

• They Say: Gum is Good for You!
• They Say: Kids Who Snarf Candy Become Violent Adults
• Industry Pushes for Chocolate Milk in Schools
• Keep The Swine Flu Away This Halloween
• Is Candy Medicine the New Candy Cigarette?

Tags: candy, cavities, dentist, dentistry, halloween, halloween candy, sugar, teeth, xylitol