Eating With Braces

You’ve probably heard from friends and family members who have worn braces that you won’t be able to eat some of your favorite foods while you’re in treatment. That’s true - if your favorite food is hard candy:-). Truth is - you can eat most anything as long as you avoid anything that might cause you to lose a bracket, bend a wire, or get tangled up in goo. Here’s a simple, helpful guide to help you avoid any issues. Feel free to print this list out and put it up on the fridge.
Eating Suggestions Smaller, Softer & Slower: This will make chewing easier for you and more comfortable if your teeth are sore. Cutting your food into small pieces will minimize the amount of chewing. Softer foods are much easier to chew. By eating slower you will decrease the likelihood of biting your tongue and cheek.
- These three types of foods can cause trouble by bending wires, breaking braces and loosening the cement that attaches the braces to your teeth:
- Hard Foods
- Sticky Foods
- Foods High in Sugar
HARD FOODS Avoid hard foods similar to the following: Hard bread, ice, popcorn, jawbreakers, jolly ranchers, hard pretzels, croutons, whole nuts, and hard taco shells. Take special care when eating these foods: Apples, peaches, plums – If possible, cut into wedges and chew on back teeth. Bagels, hard breads, pizza crust – Break into bite size pieces. Carrots, celery, raw veggies – Cut into small pieces that are thinner and chew on back teeth. Corn on the cob – Should be cut off the cob.
STICKY FOODS Avoid sticky foods similar to the following: Caramels, Sugar Daddies, Starbursts, and Taffy.
FOODS HIGH IN SUGAR Limit the amount of sugary foods you eat. Sugar can increase the plaque that forms on your teeth, causing cavities and permanent white marks. Many foods, like breakfast cereals, have hidden sugars. If you do choose to eat sugary foods, please brush immediately after. Avoid between meal snacking. The worse things you can do are drink soda or eat crackers and chips between meals without brushing.
Soft Drinks and Gatorade These drinks are very acidic and contain large amounts of sugar, both which will cause permanent damage to the enamel on your teeth. Water and milk are healthier alternatives. We recommend limiting soft drink and Gatorade to special occasions. They should never be sipped over a long period of time and we recommend that you brush thoroughly or rinse with water after drinking, to decrease the amount of damage.