Halloween and candy have become synonymous.  As a dentist, one would expect me to rail against the evils of sugar. While the fermentable sugar in most candies is cavity causing (cariogenic), there are other factors in the equation of cavity formation: immune response and home care being very important too.  But frequency of consumption is also a major factor, for with each incident of eating fermentable sugar, such as sucrose, the bacteria in your mouth produce acid which lasts about twenty minutes.  This acid attacks the tooth to cause the hole known as a cavity. It would be better to eat 10 lbs of candy in one sitting, then to have one little candy bar and break off a piece and eat it (20 minutes of acid attack), and then break off another piece an hour later and eat it(20 more minutes of acid attack, and then have another piece an hour later (20 more minutes of acid attack)…well you get the picture. It is frequency, not quantity that counts with respect to caries (the disease process causing cavities). Now, despite this, the acid production can be minimized by good flossing, and brushing after eating sugary substances.  So enjoy your Halloween candy: just eat it with less frequency, and brush afterwards!