What You Need to Know About Eating With Braces

Posted on May 14, 2024

If you’ve made the commitment to braces, you want to get the best results possible. In order to make that happen, you need to follow all of the recommendations of your orthodontist. According to the National Library of Medicine, roughly 4% of children need braces. Here are some tips on foods to avoid and foods to enjoy while wearing braces.

Why Foods Matter

First, let’s take a look at why food matters so much in orthodontic care. When there are braces on your teeth, everything that goes into your mouth can affect the braces. This is why you need to make good choices about what goes into your mouth. The braces are made up of brackets, bands, and archwires. All of these components can be damaged by the food you eat, especially foods that are hard and sticky. Also, taking good care of your teeth while you have braces is sometimes harder as well. You need to avoid foods that would stick to your teeth since it’s already hard enough to brush and floss around the braces.

Foods to Avoid

There seems to be a lot of food that must be avoided while you have braces, but you need to keep in mind that this is temporary. You’ll get much better results if you follow these rules. Mostly, you want to avoid anything crunchy or sticky. This includes nuts, bubble gum, and all forms of hard candy. You should also avoid potato chips, popcorn, crunchy veggies, sticky candy, corn on the cob, apples, beef jerky, and even pizza crust.

In addition to avoiding certain foods, you also need to steer clear of certain habits. Pen chewing, pencil chewing, nail-biting, toothpick use, and straw chewing. Any of these behaviors can disrupt your orthodontic care and possibly damage your braces.

Foods to Enjoy

There are still plenty of foods you can enjoy while you have braces. These are usually soft foods that are low in sugar. Pasta, mashed potatoes, boneless meat, cooked veggies, fruit, soup, soft bread, dairy products, casseroles, and pretty much anything soft.

These are just a few tips on how to get the best results with your braces. If you’re looking for orthodontic care near you, please call Jacaranda Smiles today. We look forward to seeing you!