Food to Avoid with Braces Near You
With braces, you're on your way to a beautiful smile. While you are on this exciting journey, please be aware that eating certain types of food can damage the wires or brackets — and make your daily oral hygiene routine more challenging. Do not worry; your orthodontic treatment will all be worth it in the end! But in the meantime, you'll want to pay special attention to what you eat. Let's start with the foods you should avoid.
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What You Should NOT
Eat With Braces:
Popcorn
Popcorn hulls can get stuck under braces, which are tough to remove. They can get wedged between teeth and below the gums, causing them to become inflamed and swollen. If you feel you can't live without popcorn, "hull-less" popcorn is safer for people with braces. Note that "hull-less" popcorn still has a hull; it's just smaller and softer.
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Acidic beverages
Acidic beverages like soft drinks — including diet sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and lemonade are especially hard on teeth with braces. Some people notice white spots on their teeth after their braces have been removed. These spots are where the enamel has been stripped of its essential minerals, paving the way for bacteria to create cavities. The resulting white spots are likely to be permanent.
Sticky candy
Caramel, taffy, gummy bears, and the like can coat your teeth with sticky sugar and can even pull off your brackets.
Hard candy
Hard candy can pop off brackets and bend wires. Also, the sugar can invite plaque to form under and around the braces, where cleaning is difficult.
Hard foods and
chewy foods
Chewy or hard foods like bagels, nuts, and raw veggies can damage braces. Instead, slice fruits and veggies into small pieces or cook them to soften. Cut corn off the cob, but be aware it may still stick in braces—use floss picks or a water flosser to clean.
Ice cubes
Chewing on ice isn't good for teeth without braces either, but it can cause particular problems for braces, possibly breaking off a bracket or moving a wire.
What You CAN Eat
With Braces:
The good news is that not every yummy food is off-limits for people who wear braces. There are still plenty of food choices that you can safely eat with braces. Among them:
Smoothies
Soups and chili
Yogurt and other dairy products
Bananas, strawberries and other soft fruits
Applesauce
Oatmeal
Eggs
Tuna, baked fish, meatloaf and tofu
Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes and sweet potatoes
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Mac 'n' cheese, ravioli and other pasta dishes
Thin and light crackers or cookies
As a rule of thumb, soft foods are easier on the hardware in your mouth. If you're not sure about a particular food, ask yourself if it fits into one of the categories of foods to avoid: hard, chewy, sticky, sugary or acidic. And you can always ask us!
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