When Halloween rolls around, most people like to enjoy a little candy in celebration. Surely, a piece of candy here and there is nothing to worry about too much – but when the holiday is over, it's best to curb the habit of indulging in these sweet treats. Here's a look at three good reasons to put that candy down.

It can lead to tooth decay.

Your mother wasn't lying! Eating a lot of sugar can lead to cavities and substantial tooth decay, and candy is mostly sugar. Your mouth contains oral bacteria; these bacteria feed on sugar, so when you eat a lot of sugar on a regular basis, they replicate. The acid they secrete eats away at your tooth enamel, leading to cavities. If you're eating candy regularly, you're going to have a pretty large population of oral bacteria. Your tooth decay might progress rather quickly to the extent that you no longer need just a simple filling but a crown or a root canal.

Your gums may start to suffer.

The same oral bacteria that cause tooth decay also irritate your gums. They can lead to redness and soreness in your gums, as well as bleeding when you brush. When gum disease first develops, it's usually a minor issue and will likely go away if you reduce your sugar intake and focus on brushing and flossing more often. However, if you keep eating a lot of sugar, gum disease will become progressively worse until your gums form unsightly pockets around your teeth and your teeth become loose, possibly to the point of falling out.

You might damage your fillings.

A lot of Halloween candies – such as gummy candies, taffy, and peanut butter chews – are quite sticky. When you chew on these sticky candies, you risk pulling out or damaging your fillings. If you notice that a filling is damaged right away, of course your dentist can replace it (though you will likely have to pay for this service). The real danger lies in fillings that you do not realize have been loosened by candy. There is just enough space around them for oral bacteria to sneak in and start the decay process. Before long, the area around your filling has decayed, and you may end up needing to have the entire tooth removed.

If you still have a bucket of Halloween candy lingering on your table or in the corner of a room, it's time to get rid of it. Continuing to nosh on those sweets for weeks on end is not doing your oral health any favors. Read more here.