One of everyone’s favorite parts of the holidays is enjoying delicious candy treats. Whether you are ringing doorbells on Halloween or sitting around the table at Thanksgiving, having braces can prevent you from enjoying the candies that you are used to enjoying. But we are here to help. Today we will share with you the candy that you can still enjoy with braces.

It is important to remember that in excess, candy of any kind can accumulate around your braces and lead to permanent white marks, cavities, or gum disease. Brushing thoroughly around your braces will allow you to enjoy more sweets with less risk of dental problems. Candy is one of the biggest offenders of broken brackets. If you do find a bracket not attached to the tooth, call your orthodontist to make an appointment to repair the loose bracket so your treatment is not delayed. Your orthodontist might have different recommendations for your specific treatment. So make sure you talk to your orthodontist if you are still unsure about which candies you can eat.

Before we give you ideas on what candies you can eat, let’s talk about what candies you should avoid.

There are two main types of candies you should avoid, hard candies and chewy candies.

Hard candies should be avoided because when you bite down on them they can cause your brackets to break. Some hard candies include Skittles, Lifesavers, Nerds, Lemonheads, Jolly Ranchers, Smarties, Warheads, Pez, and Gobstoppers. Lollipops are also considered hard candy. But as long as you do not bite down, you can safely enjoy this treat without breaking a bracket.

Chewy candies should be avoided because they can get stuck underneath your brackets. This can loosen the bracket or break it completely. The sugary candy can also get stuck in hard-to-brush places leading to cavities. Examples of chewy candies include Caramel, Taffy, Gum, Jellybeans, Swedish Fish, Airheads, Mike and like, Mamba, Sweettarts, Twizzlers, Licorice, Starburst, Sour Patch, and Tootsie Rolls.

Now let’s talk about what candies you can eat with braces.

We have come up with a list of the best candies you can eat while wearing braces. Note that some of these candies are offered with nuts. It is important to not eat these versions because nuts can cause damage to your braces. Great treats you can eat with braces include Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cups, KitKats, Three Musketeers, Cookies, Candy corn, Mounds, Junior Mints, Pixie Stix, M&M’s, York, Hershey “Kisses and Bars”, Nestle Crunch, and Milky Ways.

What are your favorite braces-approved candies? Let us know in the comment section below.