In Honor of Trick-or-Treat: What diabetes does to your teeth

As we creep through October, the excitement of dressing silly, scary, or spooky for Halloween is an enormous source of excitement for kids (and adds a minor sense of terror for Drs. Scaggs and Penchan)! Acquiring massive amounts of candy…you know, the stuff parents prefer not to keep in the house…suddenly gets the neighborhood stamp of approval.

Mom begins the torture by filling the candy bowl by the front door with treats, so long before the big day that she has to refill it after the passing hordes consume it all; Grandma and Grandpa have a big bowl sitting by their door, too, and like any normal kid, diving into that bowl and THEN the hard-earned trick-or-treat bucket is truly the sweetest revelry.

Sugar, however, is serious business for a lot of Americans today. With 9.3% of the American population living with diabetes (29.1 million people), this staggering figure means no diving into the candy bowl for a whole lot of us—parents and kids, alike.

Here at Josey Lane Dentistry, we know teeth. Yet, being big fans ourselves of Halloween (even knowing what we know about sugar and tooth decay), we feel for you and DO understand that a sugar-infused holiday can be difficult for those with diabetes—or for those who care for a loved one with the disease.

So, we’ve collected some of our knowledge about the topic, what it can do to your teeth, and which treats you can still indulge in during this sugar rush of a season!

Diabetes and your teeth

If diabetes is not diagnosed or is left untreated, these are some of the symptoms that can lead to lasting damage to your smile:

• Dry mouth (unusually low production of saliva, leading to a higher risk for cavities, because saliva protects your teeth)
• Your gums can become inflamed or bleed regularly
• You might have problems tasting food
• You might experience delayed wound healing (which can be especially dangerous in the mouth)
• You might be more susceptible to infections inside your mouth
• For children with diabetes, teeth might erupt at an earlier age than is typical1

Halloween treats to eat

We’ve complied below a list of candies—chocolate and non-chocolate—from the lowest quantity of carbohydrates to the most, all of which could be worthy of your taste buds at a personally-regulated amount this season.

Chocolate: 

1. HERSHEY’S – Fun Size (7.6g of carbs & 63 calories)
2. Crunch – Fun Size (9g of carbs & 60 calories)
3. KitKat – Fun Size (9g of carbs & 70 calories)
4. M&M’s – Fun Size (10g carbs & 63 calories)
5. Almond Joy – Fun Size (10g of carbs & 80 calories)
6. Snickers – Fun Size (10.5g of carbs & 80 calories)
7. 3 Musketeers – Fun Size (11g of carbs & 67 calories)
8. Twix – Fun Size (11g of carbs & 80 calories)
9. Milk Way – Fun Size (12g of carbs & 80 calories)
10. Reese’s – 1 cup (12g of carbs & 110 calories)

Non-chocolate:

1. Tootsie Roll – 1 small wrapped piece (2g of carbs & 11 calories)
2. SweeTarts – 1 three-piece pack (3g of carbs & 15 calories)
3. Laffy Taffy – 1 small bar (7.5g of carbs & 35 calories)
4. Starburst – 1 fun size pack (2 pieces) (8.5g of carbs & 40 calories)
5. Airheads – 1 piece (10g of carbs & 47 calories)
6. Nerds – Fun Size (11g of carbs & 45 calories)
7. SourPatch – Fun Size (13.5g of carbs & 55 calories)
8. Swedish Fish – Fun Size (13.5g of carbs & 55 calories)
9. Skittles – Fun Size (14g of carbs & 63 calories)
10. Caramel Apple Pops (15g of carbs & 60 calories)

Note that while we’ve laid out these numbers for you, you should always follow your doctor’s guidance on what servings or dosages of treats mark the “cut-off” for your case.

Most of all, we wish you a spook-tacular Halloween! Don’t forget to floss and brush those teeth, gums and tongue after indulging!