Foods to Avoid with Braces
November 21, 2019 6:19 pmIf you are going through orthodontic treatment with traditional braces, you’ve got a gorgeous smile to look forward to! Before you get there, though, treat your teeth right to avoid setbacks. This includes avoiding certain foods that are dangerous to your braces. Read on to learn about foods to avoid while wearing braces!
- Chewy Foods
- Crunchy & Hard Foods
- Sticky Foods
- Foods You Bite Into
The first group of foods to rule out includes any foods that are especially chewy. We’re talking about bagels, hard rolls and other dense breads, beef jerky, taffy, toffee, fudge, and licorice, for example. These foods pose a risk to your braces since they could cause you to bend a wire or pop off a bracket.
You should never chew on ice, which could not only damage your braces but also break or chip a tooth! But there are other crunchy foods to avoid besides ice. Popcorn, pretzels, jawbreakers, lollipops, and hard nuts like almonds and macadamia nuts are all examples of foods that could break or bend the metal of your braces, or get stuck.
Avoid sticky foods like caramel, fruit snacks, and gummy candy. These sugary, sticky foods not only threaten to damage your braces, but they are plain difficult to clean out of the brackets and wires. And stuck food increases your risk for tooth decay. Don’t chew gum either, even if it is sugar-free. Wait until you are finished with your braces treatment!
Foods that you would normally bite into (like apples, peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, and corn on the cob) don’t need to be eliminated entirely while you’re sporting braces, but they do need to be eaten differently. Rather than biting right into a whole fruit, slice it into bite-sized pieces. Likewise, slice off a corncob’s kernels and eat them with a fork or spoon.
Achieve Your Perfect Smile!
At Meason Orthodontics, our team has perfected the art of smile-straightening. We offer a wide range of orthodontic options to suit patients of any age. Begin your journey to a perfect smile by scheduling a consultation at our office so we can help you figure out which method is best for you.
Categorised in: Orthodontic Tips
