Spooky Season is Here: Top Tricks + Treats for Your Smile (+ Trending Costumes for 2025)

Halloween 2025 is all about costumes, candy, and confidence — and your smile deserves to be part of the celebration!

Whether you’re walking the neighborhood with your trick-or-treat bag, heading to a school party, or snapping photos before a big night out, your braces or Invisalign® don’t have to hold you back.

Before you dive into the chocolate and dress up as your favorite character, let’s check out 2025’s trending costumes, the best braces-friendly treats, and a few orthodontist-approved tips to keep your smile looking fang-tastic all season long.

TL;DR: Halloween Smile Survival Guide

  • • Trending Costumes 2025: Super Mario Bros. squad, Taylor Swift + Eras Tour inspo, Inside Out 2 characters, classic Wednesday Addams.
  • • Braces-Friendly Treats: Soft chocolates, peanut butter cups, marshmallows (yes, you can eat marshmallows with braces in moderation!), cookies, brownies.
  • • Candy to Avoid: Sticky caramels, gummies, popcorn balls, jawbreakers, taffy.
  • • Pro Tip: Brush + floss right after enjoying sweets, and keep your elastics in while trick-or-treating. Carry your Invisalign case with you!
  • • Celebrate With Us: Snap a costume selfie or candy haul pic and tag @goorthodontics!

2025’s Trending Halloween Costumes

If you’re still figuring out your Halloween look, here are the top costumes likely to rule the sidewalk in 2025:

  • • Super Mario Bros. Crew: Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser are back in action thanks to the latest game release — and they make a perfect family or sibling group costume.
  • • Taylor Swift Eras Tour Looks: Sparkles, fringe, and friendship bracelets are everywhere. Whether you’re channeling Fearless, Reputation, or Midnights, Swiftie costumes are taking over trick-or-treat.
  • • Inside Out 2 Characters: The sequel introduced new emotions like Anxiety and Envy — these colorful costumes are fun for kids and easy to DIY.
  • • Wednesday Addams: Dark dress, braids, and that signature scowl are still a fan favorite. Channel your inner Jenna Ortega (or Christina Ricci!)
  • • Superheroes & Villains: New Marvel and DC releases in 2025 mean you’ll likely see fresh takes on Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and the Joker.
  • • Disney & Pixar Favorites: Expect to spot Elsa, Moana, and Zootopia characters, of course!
  • • Classics: Or keep it classic with the usual favorites you’ll see every year: skeletons, clowns, superheroes, aliens, angels, ninjas, pirates, or witches.

Halloween Costumes with Braces

If you’re in braces, lean into it! You might only get one year in braces, so this is the perfect chance to turn them into a costume accessory:

  • Darla from Finding Nemo — Sport those pigtails & bag up a fish (fake ones only!)
  • Eliza Thornberry — Binoculars, backpack, glasses: check!
  • Sid from Toy Story — Round up a few toys, and break out the Converse.
  • Kip from Napoleon Dynamite — Don’t forget your La Fawnduh sign!
  • Gwen Stefani in the 90’s — Who doesn’t love an iconic braces and pink hair look.

The Big Question: What candy can you eat with braces?

Now for the big question — we hear it every year: What candy can you eat with braces? The good news is, you don’t have to skip the fun to keep your smile safe!

When you’re out trick-or-treating, it’s fine to enjoy a soft chocolate or peanut butter cup here and there. Once you get home and dump out your candy haul, that’s when the real work (and fun) begins. Make it a tradition to separate your stash into two piles:

  1. 1. Braces-friendly pile — the goodies you can enjoy without worry.
  2. 2. “Save it for later” pile — the sticky, chewy, or crunchy candies that could damage your braces.

Not only does this keep your smile safe, but it also makes it easier to know what’s fair game when you want a treat the next day. And if you’ve got siblings or friends who don’t have braces, pass those off-limit candies their way — they’ll be shocked at your generosity (and probably owe you one later).

Or, stash a few favorites in a safe spot to enjoy after your braces come off — as long as they don’t expire first!

Braces-Friendly Candy

Stick with sweets that are soft, easy to chew, and won’t bend your wires or pop off brackets, like:

  • Soft chocolates: Hershey’s, KitKats, Reese’s, and Three Musketeers galore.
  • Soft cookies and brownies: Yep, you can eat cookies with braces — just avoid crunchy ones with nuts!
  • Marshmallows: Yes, you can eat marshmallows with braces in moderation, just brush after — and it’s best to avoid the super gooey ones.

Candy to Avoid

As tempting as they may look, these treats can play tricks on your braces. They can break brackets, bend wires, or get stuck in all the wrong places — which means extra trips to see us and delays in your treatment.

Here’s what to watch out for:

  • Sticky caramels: Too sticky, and prone to pulling brackets out of place.
  • Gummies: Bears, worms, and sour patch kids, can wedge themselves into the nooks and crannies of your braces.
  • Taffy: A classic braces “no-no.” It’s chewy, stretchy, and tough.
  • Hard candies + jawbreakers: Anything you crunch down on can snap a bracket instantly.
  • Popcorn balls: They may look festive, but those hidden kernels are bracket breakers in disguise.

When in doubt, ask yourself: Is it super sticky? Is it rock-hard? If the answer is yes, it’s safer to pass. Hand it off to a sibling or friend (they’ll be thrilled), or save it in a “future stash” for the day your braces come off — as long as they won’t expire!

Halloween Treats with Invisalign®

Here’s the sweet news: if you’re in Invisalign®, you can enjoy any Halloween candy you like — no special rules required! Just pop your aligners out before you eat, enjoy your treats, then brush, floss, and clean your aligners before putting them back in.

The real trick is remembering not to leave your trays out for too long. Carry your case with you, so your aligners stay safe and secure.

Braces & Invisalign® Tips for Halloween Night

No tricks here — just orthodontist-approved tips for keeping your smile healthy and your treatment on track while you enjoy all the fun of Halloween:

  • • Keep your braces elastics in: It may be tempting to take them out while you’re running around with friends, but those tiny bands do big work. Even skipping a few hours can slow down your treatment progress.
  • • Bring a mini dental kit: Toss a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, or floss picks into your bag so you can freshen up after candy breaks.
  • • Snack smart at parties: Braces don’t mean you have to skip out on the fun table. Choose soft, braces-friendly snacks like cheese cubes, soft pretzels, fruit dips, or cupcakes instead of crunchy chips or sticky caramel apples.
  • • Invisalign® pro tip: You can eat whatever you’d like — just remember to pop your aligners out before you dig in, brush after, and put them back in right away. Don’t let your trays sit out all night (and definitely don’t wrap them in a napkin — that’s how they get thrown away!).

Bottom line: enjoy the night, but keep your braces and aligners in mind so your smile is still on track when November rolls around.

Celebrate Your Smile With Us

At GO Orthodontics, we love celebrating with our patients and community. Whether you’re trick-or-treating in Southaven, Corinth, Oxford, Saltillo, Collierville, Columbus, or Starkville, we’d love to see your costumes and your confident smiles!

Get Social with It

Snap a selfie in your full costume, show off your braces-friendly candy stash, or film a quick TikTok as your look comes together. Some fun ideas to capture the good vibes:

  • • TikTok costume glow-up: Start with your first piece (like braids for Wednesday Addams or a Mario mustache), then transition each clip until your full costume is revealed — don’t forget to flash a braces or Invisalign® smile in the final shot.
  • Trick-or-treat haul check: Record your candy dump and separate it into the “braces-friendly” pile vs. the “save for later” pile — tag us so we can cheer you on!
  • Best smile moment: Film your favorite part of the night — whether it’s a group costume reveal, a silly dance, or just chowing down on treats with friends.

Don’t forget to tag us!

We can’t wait to see your costumes and smiles — your creativity makes our day! Post your photos or videos, and tag @goorthodontics on Instagram or Facebook to show off that smile-in-progress.

We’ll be sharing our team’s own spooky looks too — stay tuned to see how Dr. Gililland, Dr. O’Bannon, Dr. Gonder, Dr. Radford, Dr. Chew and the GO team are celebrating this year.

Smiles, costumes, candy (the safe kind), and community fun — that’s our kind of spooky season.

Keep That Smile Healthy Beyond Halloween

Halloween is just one night, but your smile lasts a lifetime. Interested in more tips? Check out more Halloween Survival Guide tips for a mouth-healthy Halloween from the American Dental Association — or reach out to us with any questions. We’re happy to help! Please feel free to text or call us at (662) 234-4822.

Looking for an orthodontist near you? GO Orthodontics is Lee County and North Mississippi’s largest Invisalign provider — and we bring you modern braces options, Invisalign for all ages, and flexible interest-free financing (with insurance accepted) designed for your family’s needs.

We proudly serve families from all across North Mississippi and West Tennessee. Our convenient locations include an:

  • • Orthodontic Office in Southaven – trusted by families throughout DeSoto County, Hernando, Olive Branch, and Senatobia.
  • • Oxford Orthodontic Office – a preferred choice for patients from Pontotoc, New Albany, and surrounding areas.
  • • Saltillo Orthodontic Office – easily accessible for families in Tupelo, Booneville, and Lee County.
  • • Starkville Orthodontic Office – trusted by families from Mississippi State University, West Point, and Oktibbeha County.
  • • Columbus Orthodontic Office – a convenient choice for patients from Lowndes County, Caledonia, and nearby communities.
  • • Corinth Orthodontic Office – serving patients from Alcorn County and nearby towns.
  • • Collierville, TN Orthodontic Office – convenient for families throughout Shelby County.

No matter which orthodontic office is near you, our team is here to make orthodontic treatment simple, stress-free, and designed around your lifestyle.

Start with a complimentary consultation — or start with a virtual consultation from home — no pressure, no strings attached, just the start of your best smile.

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