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The weeks after Halloween must be a pretty busy time for dentists, with kids needing visits to repair all the damage all that sugar has done to their teeth. And while cavities are no fun for anyone, dentists aren’t suggesting you forbid kids from enjoying Halloween altogether. In fact, a survey by the American Dental Association finds that 76% of dentists actually give out candy on the holiday, although there are some candies they do prefer, and others they totally avoid.
Overall, chocolate seems to be the favorite trick of treating choice of dentists, mainly because kids can wash it off their teeth better than other treats. Chocolate also has some benefits, since it slows down bacteria that can cause tooth decay, although dark chocolate is preferred because it contains less sugar.
As for candy dentists stay away from, hard candy is the worst because it’s pure sugar that kids suck on for a long time so all that sugar stays in the mouth. What’s more, it’s easy to break a tooth if a kid tries to bite down on it. Other candies that get a thumbs down from dentists include gummy candy, because it clings to the teeth, caramel, which is sticky and harder to remove, and sour candy, which is acidic, and the acids help bacteria, and also change the PH of the mouth.
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