Halloween candy: which kinds are the worst for your teeth?

TYLER — Many of us are tempted by sweets on Halloween, but besides those sweet treats affecting our waist line ... it takes a toll on our teeth, too.

"No candy can be recommended by a dentist," said Dr. Culberson Boren, D.D.S. of Dentistry for Children in Tyler. "Sugar is the worst thing for teeth. The bacteria in the mouth tend to break the sugar down and produces an acid bi-product and that's what basically starts to eat away at the enamel of the teeth."

So if they're all bad, there's one type that's well ... very bad.

"We look at the stickiest of candies, and they are the worst," Dr. Boren said. "Things like taffy, Now and Laters, caramels, anything that when you bite your teeth together, and you can't open them up."

It's not just the fact that they can rip out those fillings and crowns in an instant, either.

"They stay on the teeth longer," Dr. Boren said. "When you go to brush your teeth after eating a real sticky caramel, you're not gonna get 100 percent of the candy off your teeth."

Dr. Boren doesn't blame us sugar addicts, though.

"If you're gonna have a piece of candy, sugar free is great if you can find it," he said. "But I tell you what, it just doesn't taste as good as the regular stuff. That's like eating low fat donuts ... who wants to do that?"

His recommendation for how to handle the "pressure" come October 31 might surprise you.

"Eat all the candy they want on Halloween," Dr. Boren said. "We will be here when all your crowns come off."

Dr. Boren recommends after having your holiday fun, throw all that extra candy out in the trash.

For a list of the best and worst Halloween candies for your waist line, (I will tell you, many of them contradict with what's best for your teeth), click here [1].