Living with braces isn’t much different than living without them. Yes, of course, you have to take care to clean them in the right way. But for the most part, braces don’t interrupt with your life too much. You also have to make sure that you take care of your braces and try not to break them. That includes making sure you don’t eat foods that are known to cause damage to braces.
Why Should You Avoid Certain Foods?
Crunchy or sticky foods can get stuck in your braces and lead to broken brackets or wires. If you damage your braces, it could lead to longer treatment times. No one wants you to have to wear braces any longer than originally planned!
Tooth decay is another concern when it comes to eating certain foods while wearing braces. Many foods are known to get stuck in brackets or in between your teeth. Those foods can be hard to get out, and you may not even know they’re there. Food particles can breed bacteria that leads to cavities and/or bad breath.
Specific Foods to Avoid
Try to avoid any foods that are excessively hard, crunchy, chewy, or sticky. You have to use your best judgement, but here are some
examples of what to avoid:
- Apples (unless you cut them into slices)
- Sticky candy
- Bagels
- Carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
- Ice (you can put it in your drink, but don’t chew it!)
- Hard potato chips
- French bread
- Hard pretzels
- Popcorn
- Nuts
- Caramel
- Taffy
Your Responsibility
Giving you the best smile possible is the highest priority for our orthodontists and entire team. Don’t forget that YOU play a huge part in creating that beautiful smile too! Wearing braces is a commitment from you to take care of your orthodontic appliance. That means avoiding problem foods and following your orthodontist’s instructions. Since we’re all in this together, we like for our patients to sign a new patient agreement where they agree to do their part.
Your beautiful smile is just around the corner! We know that avoiding these foods may be inconvenient during treatment times. But just imagine how beautiful that smile of yours is going to be when you dig into that first tub of popcorn after your braces are off!