What Candy Is OK for Braces?

Braces And Halloween

Published by Dr. Charles Gemmi

A Board Certified Orthodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, Dr. Charles Gemmi has been a practicing orthodontist with Orthodontics Limited since 2000 and is a member of the teaching staff at Einstein Medical Center. Orthodontics Limited is a Diamond+ Provider of Invisalign in Philadelphia and Hatboro, PA.

Last Update: 25 Jan 2022

Halloween is almost here and that means it’s candy season! Your teen might be excited about getting dressed up and going trick or treating with their friends, but if they have braces, it should be noted that they aren’t going to be able to eat all of the candy that they collect. Even if they are just staying home and watching scary movies, they are probably going to want to eat some candy.

Here are the types of candy that are alright to eat with braces and what types of candy should definitely be avoided.

1. Chocolate

Chocolate is perfectly fine for braces. Any type of soft chocolate, from a chocolate bar to a peanut butter cup is going to be perfectly fine for your kid when they have braces. It’s important to watch out for really large or hard pieces of chocolate, however. If, for some reason, they are given a huge piece of chocolate, it could still be dangerous for your kid to pit into the piece, as it could damage their equipment. If the chocolate is frozen, it will be very hard and difficult to bite into, again, potentially damaging their teeth. Fun-sized or even normal-sized chocolate bars are great!

2. Cookies

Most neighborhoods have someone who passes out baked goods on Halloween. Most cookies are going to be fine, especially if they are soft. If, however, someone is giving out hard cookies, especially if they are store bought, you might be looking at damage to your teen’s braces. Just as with any hard food, a hard cookie could break off a bracket or bend the wire.

3. Apples

Apples are only going to be okay to eat if they are cut up into small slices first. Many areas have people who give out fresh apples or caramel apples on Halloween, both of which are probably okay to eat, if you carefully cut them into slices first. Don’t let your teen bite into an apple! Despite being great for you, apples are notoriously bad for braces. They can easily break off brackets, damage brackets, and bend wires. While this does require an extra step in order to enjoy the Halloween treat, apples can be a great alternative to all of the sugar that your teen would otherwise be consuming.

4. Hard candies

Hard candies can be both okay and very bad for braces. For example, if your teen does not chew on the hard candies or bite down on them in any way, they are probably going to be perfectly safe to eat. On the other hand, if your teen is just going to suck on the candy until it is gone, then hard candies don’t have to be off limits. Of course, this can be difficult to supervise, so you have to trust that your teen understands why it is not safe for her to chew hard candies.

5. Sticky candies

With hard candies off the table, your kid might be looking towards sticky candies for their sugar fix. Sticky candies, unfortunately, are totally off-limits for braces wearers. This means no tootsie rolls, no starbursts, no jelly beans, no gummies, and definitely no caramels. Sticky candies don’t just stick to your braces and become difficult to clean off. They can actually rip the brackets off of teeth, distort wires, and hurt your teen’s tender teeth and gums. Though most of these candies are soft, which should have made them perfectly fine to eat with braces, sticky candies are the worse for braces-wearers.

6. M&Ms and Skittles

What about candies like M&Ms and Skittles? Unfortunately, the small size of these candies makes them an enemy to braces. Even if you eat just one piece at a time, the candy can get under the wire and pop off a bracket when you bite down. The issue is worsened when your teen is eating handfuls of M&Ms or Skittles at a time. This is probably a candy that should be removed from their bag.

7. Popcorn

Is there someone on your block that hands out bags of popcorn or is your teen planning on popping a few big bowls of popcorn to enjoy during their scary movie? While popcorn might seem totally innocuous (it’s light and fluffy!) there are hidden hard pieces that can get under wires and into brackets. Plus, getting all of those popcorn pieces out from between your teeth is hard enough, even when you don’t have braces on your teeth. Popcorn, especially popcorn balls, are completely off limits this Halloween.

8. Toffee or brittle

Something that starts out hard and then becomes chewy as it warms up in your mouth would obviously be bad for braces. Keep in mind that your teen’s teeth are going to be very sensitive, which is going to make eating something hard or chewy very uncomfortable.

It might be disappointing for your teen to realize that most of the candy that they love can damage their braces. Luckily, there are a few ways that they can still get their sugar fix on this list. If they do go trick or treating, encourage them to trade candy with their friends so they can make sure that they get a few pieces that they can actually eat. You might even consider making a few special treats specifically with your teen’s braces in mind, so they have something to enjoy during this spooky season. Just remember to keep the sugar to a minimum. Even candy that is technically okay for braces can still give your teen cavities!

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139 responses to “What Candy Is OK for Braces?”

  1. nini says:

    i wish i could eat all of these when i get braces:( at least my teeth will become healthy 🙂

  2. Skylar says:

    Can I still have warheads?

  3. Jillian M. Marr says:

    I disagree with the starburst part. I have had braces for 6 months and have been eating starburst and I haven’t had a single problem with them.

  4. Isaac Cook says:

    YOU IDIOTS! HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A CHILD?

  5. Blue in braces says:

    Why the fuck do you put an apple next to the girl with braces if people with braces cant bite into apples!BY THE WAY I EAT GUM ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. Kelly says:

    This article should be titled “What candy is NOT OK for braces” because at quick glance it looks like the numbered list answers the title question “What candy is OK for braces?”

  7. Billy says:

    But is there a way to eat popcorn!? Can you suck on it?

  8. Jc S Roberts says:

    What type of candies can be good please tell me and thanks

    • Elizabeth says:

      Hershey Bars
      Kit Kats
      Resses PB Cups (regular not fun sized tiny ones)
      THIN crunch bars (like the regular full size ones, I was told by my orthodontist when I had them these would not be an issue as long as they weren’t the thick fun size ones)
      (Despite what the article says) REGULAR M&Ms are okay, even PB M&Ms should be fine, stay away from the ones with a hard, crunchy center
      I also remember being able to eat 3 musketeers but pass this one by your orthodontist first.

      Also YOU CAN have popcorn, you just have to be careful that you don’t bite into an unpopped cernal. You can’t have popcorn balls though since their sticky and thick and hard to bite into

    • Haley says:

      Rece pieces and life savors if you don’t bite them and chocalete bars and idk

  9. mochafrappe says:

    Wow, why are you people ranting. It is just candy. Like you can resist candy for some time. If you eat too much you could get diabetes anyway so its a good thing.

  10. Cherl says:

    Can i eat sour patch kids with my braces

  11. katie says:

    can I eat chips

  12. Theron says:

    Bitch bro I need my Reese at least I can eat those

  13. Theron says:

    I need my Reese thank god

  14. Heidi says:

    I’ve had them for about 6 mounts and have lost ten kilos and I’m so happy, fit and healthy

  15. Anika says:

    Did anyone eat everything they were not supposed to eat with braces?
    If so, did your teeth get stained?

    • Elizabeth says:

      I ate some of the things that were “off limits” with my braces, the foods themselves did not stain my teeth, but my poor care of my equipment e.g not brushing thoroughly is what caused me to get a couple, small white Marks on my teeth, food will not permanently stain your teeth.

  16. skylynn finnilla says:

    Can I eat lemons?

  17. a+ says:

    can you eat all of these foods with an expander

  18. AnthonyKnight says:

    Well, why the girl has an apple near her braces is because they mostly state what is bad for your braces. So that’s exactly why!

  19. karleigh says:

    i am getting my braces in two days. Is it alright if i eat some skittles but i suck on them???

  20. AmayA says:

    Can I have crackers with braces?

  21. Rowan Grove says:

    Can I eat pop rocks with my braces?

  22. Cora says:

    Omg I ate smarties, SMARTIES, and a bracket fell off! They aren’t even hard. I’ve also had a wire fall off because I ate BROCCOLI! I hate braces so much you can’t eat anything (healthy or not) I haven’t even had them on for a year and I’ve broken 2 brackets and broken my wire off (I follow almost every rule). Kms

  23. love says:

    i just got braces they hert

  24. love says:

    i just got braces they hurt

  25. Jessica Doyle says:

    everybody has been a child btw.

  26. Maya says:

    Are people allowed to have peach rings with braces?

  27. Stacy says:

    Sooooo…. what about twizzlers???

    • Mackenzie says:

      Well, just have them when your braces don’t hurt after they are tightened then just ya “light chews” 🙂 hoped this helped Stacy! – June 1, 2020 – 12:14

  28. Hi Hi Hi says:

    Can I still have Skittles? I know it says no, but I want to ask PEOPLE who had braces and still did.

    • Kieran Moore ??? says:

      I have braces, and my favorite candy is skittles. i eat them all the time, but not eating them right now since i just got my braces tightened. you have to be careful with skittles tho. but for me it hasn’t done any damage yet.

  29. Chiara says:

    Is it ok if I suck on jelly beans?

  30. Kaylee says:

    Braces Hurt, and i dont even have my bottom ones on yet XD

  31. Sophia says:

    I have had braces since July/August forgot when but I still eat everything normally. Example I still eat corn on the cob, non- cut up apples, peanut m&ms, chewy stuff…etc° but I never had an issue. So I’m saying as long as you have a technique of eating these items then it’ll do no harm, but also brush your teeth too like 2-3 times if you can’t control how much candy you eat, because you won’t want those spots.

  32. jackie obrien says:

    yeah i eat gum

  33. laila says:

    i have the full set again i already had braces before but now i have bars in my mouth does any one know if i can have popsicles

  34. Miryam says:

    Can I eat rice crispy treats?

  35. Lily says:

    I’m going to get braces in a couple of days, can I eat red vines?

  36. Kph8672 says:

    Can you eat smarties wit braces I just got mine like 4 weeks ago??

  37. maya says:

    does airheads count as sticky candy>? is it ok to eat them?

  38. Kaydance says:

    I have had braces for 2 days and I’ll ash I though they were going to be fun but they hurt it doesn’t even hurt when they are putting them on it’s when their done it’s really sensitive but you will get use to it

  39. Emily Martinez says:

    Same I wish I can eat all of that candy but I will be able 2 in 2 years

  40. Megan says:

    This is all such a relief!!! I’m getting braced in a week and I eat a lot of candy, so I’m so glad I can still eat delicious foods! Also, does it make things harder with braces when you get an extra tooth removed? I have an extra bicuspid, and it’s going to be removed soon. Will that make the first few days of braces even worse than they were for my brother?

  41. joe mama says:

    I can suck on a candy cane, right?

  42. Mackenzie Scozzafave says:

    Can you eat candy canes

    • hyexen says:

      As long as you suck on it and not bite into it, make sure to brush thoroughly after. I would really recommend having sweets after meal times so you make sure to brush your teeth.

  43. alana mustafa says:

    you think yall have it hard, my mum promised me a sweet platter on eid (mslim celabration) and i wont be even able to have any of those sweets because my dentist says im getting braces in 2 weeks

  44. elina says:

    I have braces and I eat gummies and starburst all the time

  45. ximen says:

    Do you all drink anything (besides water) with your trays in? I don’t drink a lot of dark colored liquids, but I do drink some colored teas and lemonades. I also will drink protein shakes. Are those okay to drink with trays in?
    Also, is it better to drink out of a straw with Invisalign?

  46. Joeshmo says:

    Can you eat the slime licker candy roller with braces

  47. Elizabeth says:

    I licked a fruit roll up bc I was scared to eat it- is it okay for me to lick while I wear braces?

    • Itsurmangaymerr says:

      I just got my braces yesterday and it hurts whenever i try closing my mouth, whenever i do a resting face i have to keep my mouth slightly open, in addition if i try eating soft foods like they reccommend. Theres honestly no difference can someone please reccommend some type of medicine to ease pain please!!

  48. Kit Kat says:

    Hey I got braces like 2 days ago and it can be uncomfortable for the 1st few hours and hurts after but it is different for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend eating chewy candy as it will be annoying having to get brackets on again.

  49. georgia says:

    can you eat smores with braces?

  50. Beth Harrison says:

    Is Pocky safe to eat with braces?

  51. Avi Cain says:

    Can I eat ring pops?

  52. em says:

    Wait, so are lollipops, ring pops and stuff allowed for teeth with braces?

  53. Grace Gatliffe says:

    i’m 12 and i’ve got my braces o have struggled so much to not eat chewy sweets i have had a marshmallow here and there but mostly chocolate which i LOVE!!!

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