With costumes, cauldrons, and candy, it’s hard to not get excited when All Hallows’ Eve rolls around! Halloween comes with a ton of sweets and treats to set the jovial tone for kids and adults alike. But as many of us know, too much of a good thing is never, well… good.

We’ll admit that it’s hard to have Halloween without its vital candy centerpiece. Sugary treats are nearly impossible to avoid, but some choices are better than others. Here’s a list of the top three WORST Halloween candies for your teeth. These are absolutely NOT dentist-approved!

3) Sour candy

A popular choice for candy-lovers, this type of sweet is both sour in taste and in consequences. The acid that gives sour candy its flavor can weaken your teeth’s enamel, making them prime targets for cavities. Because acid can corrode teeth over time, the few moments of pleasure aren’t quite worth the potential long-term trouble.

2) Hard candy

The primary reason hard candy is terrible for your teeth is the temptation to bite down on them. Biting down on hard candies puts your teeth at risk for damage such as tooth fractures. Hard candy also takes longer to dissolve, so sugar is in the mouth longer than with other types of candy. Considering avoiding the lollipops this year!

Hard candy also has a lot of overlap with sticky candy for why it’s one of the worst candy types for your teeth.

1) Sticky candy

Sticky candy is the worst Halloween candy for your teeth because when sugar lingers in the mouth, it creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to thrive. As a rule of thumb, if it sticks to your teeth, it’s a trick and not a treat!

This year, it would be a good idea to skip the stickier sweets, like toffees or caramels, as they are known to hang on to the teeth after consumption.

But what’s left?

It might seem like this list leaves you with limited options. Fear not! Chocolate is better for your teeth and is a great alternative to these sweets. What makes chocolate stand out? According to American Dental Association dentist Dr. Ana Paula Ferraz-Dougherty, chocolate is better simply because it washes off the surface of your teeth easier than other sweets.

Candy is best consumed after your meals, which helps cut the time spent exposing teeth to sugar. As for aftercare, be sure to brush and floss your teeth after you dig into you Halloween haul, and always twice a day the whole year!