Nobody really enjoys having braces, but we might need them at some point in our lives to help straighten that perfect smile and improve our overall dental health.
Perhaps you’re about to have them fitted. Maybe they’re already in.
Either way, you’re now wondering what candies are best to consume with them.
Firstly, well done for coming here. You’ll see why shortly.
But now, onto the candies…
Best Candies For Braces
Most of us looooove candy. But when we’ve had braces fitted, we have to very carefully choose candies that are safe to eat.
Not only to protect the brackets while eating but also to ensure we can brush out any leftover debris to ensure they don’t end up causing us tooth decay!
Now that wouldn’t be good.
So there are certain types of candy that are better than others.
However, you still have to keep careful. We’ll talk more about why you need to be careful eating candy when you have braces in a bit.
For now, I’m going to provide you with a list containing what I believe to be the best candy for braces.
Bear in mind that all of these candies can be purchased from Amazon.com.
I buy all of my candies from Amazon because you can buy them in bulk at money-saving prices. And they’re all freshly delivered to your door very quickly.
So without further ado, here are the top 5 candies for eating with braces.
Milky Way
A wonderfully tasty chocolate bar, which seems to have been around for forever, combines nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate.
It is this fantastic combination that is the foundation of Milky Way’s success.
They’re not too hard, not too chewy, and not too caramelly, so they get the green light for eating with wedding braces.
All whilst you get to enjoy a really, really tasty candy bar.
- Contains one (1) 36-count box of 1.84-ounce MILKY WAY Milk Chocolate Singles Size Candy Bars
- Ships with Ice Pack and Cool Shield
- MILKY WAY Candy Bars feature creamy caramel and smooth nougat enrobed in rich milk chocolate
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
What top 5 list aren’t Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on?
There’s a reason they’re one of the most popular candy brands in the world. Of course, they’re probably not ideal if you have a nut allergy.
But if you’re in the all-clear in this department, then Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are a delicious candy to safely enjoy whilst you’re wearing wedding braces.
- The perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter for snacking and sharing
- This bulk bag ensures you'll have enough delicious peanut butter cups left over for baking
- Individually wrapped in eye-catching gold foils
- A kosher and gluten free candy
- Includes one bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures (56-Ounce bag)
Kit Kats
Don’t worry! Your orthodontist won’t be telling you that you need to take a break from this giant of the candy world.
Kit Kats are soft enough to enjoy with wedding braces.
So you’ll still get to enjoy that smooth chocolate they are so famous for without risking any damage to your teeth or braces. You have their non-chewy texture to thank for this!
- Contains one (1) 32.34-ounce, 66-piece bulk bag of KIT KAT Milk Chocolate Snack Size Wafer Candy Bars
- Fill snack drawers, lunch boxes and candy dishes all year long with milk chocolate and wafer KIT KAT candy bars
- Kosher-certified, snack-size milk chocolate and wafer candy bars individually wrapped for lasting freshness and convenience
- Be the biggest hit at the birthday, anniversary, retirement, graduation, new baby or wedding party with classic milk chocolate wafer candy everyone there knows and loves
- Delectable snack-size treats made of crisp, crunchy wafer bars coated in creamy, smooth milk chocolate perfect for your Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter and Halloween candy selections
Hershey Bars or Kisses
Another household name here. Are you starting to see a pattern?
Hershey is one of America’s largest candy manufacturers, boasting various sub-lines of chocolate and candy.
Some of their lines you will want to avoid when you’re wearing wedding braces, but others get the green light.
Luckily, two of their most delicious product lines, both their Bars and Kisses, are fine to eat when you have wedding braces because they’re soft enough for it to be safe.
3 Musketeers
The final candy on today’s list is 3 Musketeers, once again created and manufactured in our very own US of A.
They are renowned for their chocolatey, fluffy mousse coating and inner cores, which are fantastically flavorsome.
And guess what?
As they are effectively a mousse bar, they’re very soft.
Which, as you’ve probably realized by now, is a fundamental trait in any candy that we can safely eat with wedding braces.
- Contains one (1) 36-count box of 1.92-ounce singles size 3 MUSKETEERS Chocolate Singles Size Candy Bars
- Product Note: Exposure to heat or sunlight may lead to melting/damage of product. Hence customers are expected to be available during the product delivery
- Item ships with cool packs when shipped and sold by Amazon.com (Not available on Fresh)*
- These single-size candy bars are great to pack in your lunch or share after a sporting event
- Top off your favorite desserts with pieces of 3 MUSKETEERS Candy
What Makes A Candy Suitable When You Have Braces?
A suitable candy for eating with braces will be soft in texture, non-chewy, non-crunchy, and non-sticky.
So those are the key characteristics to look out for in a candy that you choose to eat whilst you have braces. But why? Why are these characteristics so key?
Well, these characteristics make it harder for candy to get bits of itself lodged or stuck in parts of your teeth.
Now, this is a big problem when you have normal braces that stay in all the time. Because if you eat candies that are unsuitable, so they are hard, chewy, crunchy, or/and sticky, then you risk your brace’s brackets popping off and bending.
Each time this happens, you need to return to the orthodontist to have your braces refitted, which prolongs the amount of time you have to wear them.
There’s also the threat of candies getting stuck in between your brackets and being left there to leave lots of sugary bacteria.
Because it’s left in your brackets, it’s hard for you to clean out. And if it’s left unclean, then this sugary bacteria could cause tooth decay.
So those are the risks that come with eating candy when you have normal braces.
Now you might think, ‘well, that’s ok because I’m wearing braces, so I can just take them out when I eat,’ and you’d be right…to some extent.
The risks are lower because you’re not eating with your braces in.
That means that the candy won’t pose any threats of brace damage. It also means that sugar bacteria can’t accumulate in your brackets because your braces aren’t in.
But the threat comes when you put your braces back in after you’ve eaten candy.
If there are bits of candy stuck or lodged in between your teeth when you put your braces in, then they will be trapped. Trapped to leave accumulations of sugary bacteria that can lead to tooth decay.
So that’s why candies you eat with braces must be soft in texture, non-chewy, non-crunchy, and non-sticky.
If they are like this, then you won’t get stuck in your teeth as much. But if they do, you will easily be able to clean and floss your teeth so that they are completely free of candy before you pop your braces back in.
So basically, candies that are suitable for eating with braces do not get stuck in your teeth too much. And if they do, they can be easily cleaned out.
This way, you avoid potential tooth decay!
Candies To Avoid Eating With Braces
Whilst you’re wearing braces, you’ll need to avoid candies that are hard, chewy, crunchy, and sticky.
Sadly, if you’re wearing braces and you like your hard, chewy, crunchy, and sticky candies, it’s time to put them down just for a while.
If you do eat these, then they’re going to get stuck in your teeth and cause potential tooth decay.
So, if you’ve spotted a very appealing piece of candy on the shop shelf, but you’re not sure whether to spend your hard-earned cash on it, ask yourself that very important question again: Will this delicious, mouth-watering, sense-electrifying delicacy get stuck in my teeth?
If the answer you come up with is yes, then keep searching that shelf until the answer is no.
If you eat these candies, they’re going to get stuck in your teeth and will therefore be really difficult to clean out.
Sure, you might get some of the bits out. But the risk is so high that you’ll probably miss a few bits.
Then when you put your braces back on, they’ll trap the candy in, and it will be left there to deposit a sugary bacteria that can cause tooth decay.
To help you out, here’s a list of the candies you should definitely avoid during your brace-wearing days:
- Hard Candies
- Chewy Candies
- Sour Candies
- M&Ms
- Snickers
- Starburst
- Taffy
- Skittles
- Tootsie Rolls
- Jelly Beans
- Caramels
- Butter Fingers
- Licorice
- Jolly Ranchers
- Brittle Candy
- Gummy Bears
- Airheads
- Suckers
- Popcorn
Other Things To Consider When Eating Candy With Braces
When eating candy with braces, you should consider sucking if you can, not overindulging, cleaning your teeth afterward, and choosing alternatives.
Suck If You Can
By sucking on the candy, you can eat it without chewing as much.
The less you use your teeth, the less chance there is of bits of candy getting stuck in your teeth, which is what we’re trying to avoid here at the end of the day.
Don’t Eat Too Much
Remember, even if your favorite candy still has the green light to have whilst you wear braces, don’t overdo it.
Even the safest candies will accumulate excess around your teeth, leading to permanent white marks, which is known as decalcification.
Excess can also cause cavities and gum disease, which you do not want any day of the week!
Clean Properly Afterwards
I’ll say this now, and I’ll say it again later if you are a brace wearer, you must brush, floss, and mouthwash your teeth after indulging in some of your favorite candy.
You have to make sure that your teeth are as free as possible from any bits of candy.
Otherwise, they could cause sugary bacteria to accumulate, which, as you know by now, causes tooth decay.
Choose Alternatives
I mean, no one is forcing you to eat candy. But I’ll admit that some of us have sweet tooths that we just have to satisfy.
So I am fully aware of some delicious substitutes to satisfy that craving.
As you’ll see, the goodies on the list below share characteristics with those candies which I have already mentioned are ok to eat when you have braces.
So, here is that special list of some enjoyable alternatives to candy:
- Ice Cream
- Soft Cookies, such as Oreos
- Marshmallows
- Jell-O
- Cotton Candy
- Pancakes
- Yogurt
- Crips
- Chips
- Smoothies
Finally
Braces are not the most convenient. And it means the likes of candy eating isn’t particularly ideal.
But you know that already.
That’s why you came here.
Buy, just remember; Soft in texture, non-chewy, non-crunchy, and non-sticky are the characteristics you’re looking for in candy while you have braces.
Other guides you may want to check out:
- What Candy Can You Eat With Braces?
- Can You Eat Chocolate With Braces?
- What Cereals Can You Eat With Braces?
Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.
