Beware the Halloween candies that can crack your teeth or do much worse: dentist

Cavities aren’t the only Halloween candy hazard — many sweets can cause a fright to teeth and dental work even in adults, a dentist warns.Hard sweets can crack a tooth, while sticky treats can pull out dental work, potentially turning a trick-or-treat haul into an expensive dental visit, according to Dr.Marc Lazare, a New York City dentist who has practiced for nearly 30 years and focuses on biomimetic dentistry.But Lazare isn’t trying to spook people. “I’m never going to be the dentist who says, ‘Don’t enjoy Halloween.

Don’t have candy,'” he told Fox News Digital.“I love Halloween.”It’s all about moderation, he said.As a dentist, he said he evaluates candy by how it could damage teeth: “Can it harm the enamel? Can it contribute to decay and cavities? Can it pull out a filling or a crown? Can it crack a tooth?” People with fillings, posts, crowns, existing cracks, or teeth weakened by grinding are particularly vulnerable, he noted.Hard sweets can force people to crunch down, which may crack or split a tooth, especially one that has already been restored, Lazare said.“Anything where you have to force a crunch is not good,” he said.Super-sticky candies and caramels can cling to teeth and pull out fillings or crowns.

Chewy sweets can get stuck between teeth, prolonging sugar exposure and what Lazare called an “acid attack.”Sour candy can also expose enamel to acid, he warned.He recommended avoiding snacking throughout the day to help limit acid exposure.Candy isn’t the only Halloween treat that can haunt your teeth, Lazare noted.

While raisins are often seen as a healthier alternative for trick-or-treaters, they can stick to teeth and also contribute to prolonged acid exposure. “Raisins are probably one of the worst things you can have for your teeth,” he said.Lazare said his treat recommendation would be chocolate, which melts and dissolves quickly.Dark chocolate is best, he said, because it tends to be lower in sugar t...