We all were taught that sugar and candy are bad for your teeth. Of course this doesn’t cure our sweet tooth. After having a conversation in the dental chair with a patient about how much we both love sour patch kids I started to think of a list of the absolute worst candy for your teeth. A little lesson if you are going to eat candy and want to avoid the dentist and cavities is to brush about 30 minutes after you eat sugar. The longer the sugar sits on the teeth the higher the risk of cavities. That is why my list of the 5 worst types of candy for your teeth includes the stickies and most gooey treats. The more they stick in the grooves of your teeth the higher the price you will pay at your dental check ups.

Of course this order is just the opinion of one Libertyville IL Dentist and has not been scientifically proven, but buyer beware.

Top 5 Worst Candy Brands for Your Teeth

5. Carmel
Coming in at number 5 is carmel. That substance that makes candy bar better. It is sticky and gets on the teeth easily, but ranks out at 5 because it tends to wash away pretty easily with a little water and a good scrubbing with the toothbrush.

4. Dots/Gummie Bears/Sour Patch Kids
Any sticky gummy treat that sticks to the teeth is bad bad bad. These are the slow killers that cause the bad news at the dentist during your dental check up. Easy to eat by the bag full these can sit in the grooves of your teeth for hours. That can equate to hours in the dental chair if your not careful.

3. JuJu Bs
These small size hard gummies are just asking to get caught in the crevices of your teeth and wreak havoc before you can fish them out with your toothbrush.

2. Bit O Honey
This old school candy may be why so many of our parents generation are missing teeth! Sticky but hard is a theme hear, not only will they break teeth, but they can cause cavities in bunches.

1. Now and Laters
Not only are these things 100% sugar they are go from sticky to hard like some kind of magic trick. I kid you not we hav a dental product that is almost the exact same consistency that we use to pull off crowns that are stuck. My teeth crack just thinking about biting into one of these. With that being said they are oh so tasty, just be careful not to get one of these stuck in your teeth and then pull. You will be running to Libertyville Dental Associates if that happens.

What is your personal favorite?  Ever have a bad experience with candy you can share?

Dr. Sam Weisz D.D.S

Libertyville Dental Associates

1641 N. Milwaukee Ave

Libertyville IL 60048