October is National Orthodontic Health Month, with good reason. The American Academy of Orthodontists believes that October is the perfect month to focus on good orthodontic health and habits. The focus of the annual campaign is to stress the importance of eating the right foods and avoiding food related breakage.
Trick or Treating can still be fun and you can still eat plenty of candy with braces. You just need to watch what you eat and maybe do some trading of candy with siblings and friends so you can hoard all the good stuff.
The good stuff includes: Reese's PB Cups, Three Musketeers, Milky Ways, Kit Kats, Twix (break them, don't bite them), Nestle Crunch, Junior Mints, Hershey Bars and anything else that's pretty soft.
The bad stuff includes: Laffy Taffy, Milk Duds, Snickers (Sorry! It's because of the nuts.), Now and Laters, Twizzlers, 100 Grand, Butterfingers, Wrapped Caramels, Hard Candies--anything hard and crunchy or wicked sticky.
I think the worst thing of all would have to be a candied apple--does anyone even like those? Anyway, that layer of hardened sugar over an apple could not be a worse combination for braces. Do not under any circumstances eat those. Step away from the Candy Apple.
I think that kids have the most fun amassing the candy--not so much eating it. Remember how fun it was to dump it all out and see what you got? Making piles of the stuff you liked and the stuff you were going to trade off? That was the best. Do the same for your kids with braces but just make the piles in to good stuff and bad stuff.
Most importantly, when the kiddies' tummies are full of candy and the sugar rush is in full swing, please remember to remind them to BRUSH THEIR TEETH! Don't let that sugar sit there longer than it needs to. Following these simple guidelines will help keep you out of the office for emergencies on November 1. Especially since that's a Monday and Mondays are busy enough without the addition of it being the day after Halloween.
Have a fun time and be safe!
For more information on National Orthodontic Health Month, visit www.braces.org
Did you hear my daughter on the way out of the office yesterday??? "I'm having laffy taffy this year. It's my favorite and I don't care." Yeah, over my dead body, kid! :) She's supposed to be done with braces by late spring so I told her to save all her laffy taffy for then. By then, I'm sure she'll have forgotten about it and I will have tossed it in the garbage! I don't like that stuff on their teeth even without braces!!
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