Foods to Eat and Avoid When Wearing Braces

Nothing is more frustrating than eating the wrong foods, breaking your wires and waiting for an appointment to fix your braces. Even worse, you could damage your braces to the point where you cut the inside of your mouth and still have to wait for them to be repaired.

Foods To Avoid

Most broken braces are caused by eating the wrong foods. While you do not have to change your overall diet, you may need to make a few adjustments. You should avoid foods that are sticky and hard, such as:

• Nuts
• Tough Crusts
• Corn on the cob
• Whole apples
• Hard taco shells
• Popcorn
• Sticky and hard candy (such as caramels or licorice)
• Chewing gum
• Pretzels
• Corn chips
• Hard crackers and cookies
• Tough bread
• Sticky and hard chocolate
• Ice cubes

Limiting foods with a lot of sugar, such as ice cream, chocolate, cookies and sweet drinks, is crucial. To avoid biting with your front teeth when eating hard foods, such as some fruits, cut them into smaller bite-size pieces. Also, try to chew with your back teeth, so you do not strain your braces.

You should also avoid carbonated beverages, coffee and tea. However, if you intend to continue drinking these beverages, we recommend using a straw to limit contact between your teeth and the drink. The best beverages to drink while wearing braces are still water, milk products, smoothies and low-sugar drinks.

Foods to Eat When Wearing Braces

The following are some soft, simple-to-chew foods that you can consume while wearing braces:

• Eggs
• Dairy – Soft Cheeses and yogurt
• Spreads – Jams and pâté
• Seafood – Tuna, Salmon and other fish without bones
• Vegetables – Boiled or mashed potatoes, beans and steamed spinach
• Grains – pasta and rice
• Baked Goods – Muffins, cakes, pancakes, tortilla wraps and soft bread
• Low-Sugar Desserts – Pudding, jellies and ice cream
• Fruit – Melons, bananas, seedless grapes, oranges, kiwi, strawberries and other fruits without pits
• Easy to chew meats – Meatballs, lunch meats or poultry
• Sushi
• Soups

How Long After Braces Can You Eat Normally?

For the first week after getting braces, your teeth may be sensitive, so it would be best to eat only soft foods until the pain disappears. However, braces do not have to make life difficult or affect your diet negatively. Just remember to brush at least twice daily, floss regularly and watch what you eat to keep your teeth healthy.

Learn More About Avoiding Mistakes While Wearing Braces

Although getting used to wearing braces might be challenging at first, nothing compares to the confidence that comes from loving your smile. Contact Broad Street Braces today if you want to learn more about what to avoid while wearing braces for Philly teens and adults.