Now that you’ve started your orthodontic treatment with braces or clear aligners, such as Invisalign®, you’re on your way to a beautiful smile! Even so, mealtimes are more challenging, because the wrong types of foods can damage your braces, which are made up of brackets, bands and wires or plastic trays or retainers. If hardware is damaged, it could interfere with how treatment progresses. So, you’ll need to pay special attention to what you eat!
Foods NOT to be eaten while wearing braces:
As a general guideline, stay away from foods that are:
- hard
- chewy
- crunchy or
- sticky
POPCORN
Popcorn can get wedged in braces, between teeth and below gums. Hard unpopped kernels may bend wires or damage brackets.
CHEWY OR HARD FOODS
Chewy food like bagels and hard crunchy foods like pizza crust, hard nuts and thick pretzels, may harm wires and pop off brackets. Even healthy foods that require biting with the front teeth can damage braces. These include apples, corn on the cob, carrots and many raw veggies. No need to ditch these fruits and vegetables completely. You might have to go about eating them differently. Try cutting them into small pieces and chewing carefully, or cooking veggies to soften. You can cut corn, off the cob. although it’s still likely to get stuck in your braces. If this happens, try an interdental brush or Waterpik to free food particles.
STICKY OR HARD CANDY
Carmel, taffy and gummy candies can coat your teeth with sticky sugar. It can even pull off your brackets. Hard candy can also dislodge brackets and bend wires. The sugar can invite plaque to form under and around braces where cleaning is difficult.
ICE CUBES
Chewing ice cubes is bad for teeth whether or not your wearing braces, retainers or clear aligners! Ice can be especially damaging to braces, brackets, hardware and plastic retainer trays. You should never chew on ice, especially when in orthodontic treatment.
ACIDIC DRINKS
Acidic drinks are especially hard on teeth with braces. These include sports drinks, energy drinks lemonade and sodas, including diet sodas. You should never drink these while wearing clear aligners or plastic retainers.
The good news is that there’s still plenty of foods, you can safely with braces. Just make sure they’re soft enough that they don’t put wires and brackets at risk.
FOODS YOU CAN EAT WITH BRACES
- Mac ‘n Cheese
- Pasta Dishes
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Meatloaf
- Baked fish
- Soft fruits
- Cooked veggies
- Soft sandwiches
- Peanut butter
- Thin crackers
- Yogurt
- Smoothies
- Applesauce
- Soup
- Chili
- Tuna Fish
If you’re not sure about a certain food, you can always ask your orthodontic team by phoning, texting or contacting us here!
