Getting braces is a major decision,and with that comes the great responsibility of changing your diet and eating habits. While some food needs to be avoided completely, most of them are safe to eat after a certain period.
Keep reading to get a complete list of what can you eat with braces and what food to avoid.
What Can You Eat with Braces?
Initially, after getting your braces, avoiding certain food is crucial to protect them and ensure that your treatment goes well. Some food can potentially damage the brackets, bands, and arch wires of your braces. Hence sticking to a diet that prevents harm to your braces and avoids dental discomfort is necessary.
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What can you eat with braces in the first week?
After affixing the braces to your teeth, sore gums, swollen lips, teeth, and jaw are inevitable. You might even have irritated gums as your entire mouth tries to adjust to the foreign object.
During the first week, soothing the pain and discomfort is essential; hence, sticking with a soft food diet is ideal. Here is a list of food you can incorporate to avoid any harm to your braces:
- Oatmeal
- Rice cereal
- Mashed potatoes
- Smoothies
- Scrambled eggs
- Soup
- Boiled vegetables
- Yogurt
- Pudding
- Jell-o
Don’t worry; they are only necessary during the first week or until your gums start feeling normal again. You don’t have to stick to this diet for the entire course of your orthodontic treatment.
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What food to eat during your braces treatment?
With braces, it is important to follow a soft food diet. Hard or chewy food can be taken, but only once you get past the phase of sore gums and teeth. Avoid putting pressure on the brackets and wires, and try to chew from your back teeth.
You can still eat most of the food with braces; however, you must be extremely careful and brush your teeth after a meal. Here is a list of some of them:
- Soft fruits – strawberries, bananas, pineapple, kiwi
- Cakes and muffins
- Dairy – yogurt, soft cheese
- Sweet treats (in limited quantity) – Jell-O, smoothie, ice cream, milkshakes
- Soft bread
- Boiled or steamed vegetables
- Mashed potatoes
- Pancakes and waffles
- Soft meat – without the bones and ones that are not chewy
- Grains – soft pasta, rice, noodles
- Corn without the cob
- Peanut butter
- Soup
Why Avoid Certain Food with Braces?
Your braces have sensitive arch wires, bands, and brackets that could be damaged because of certain food. They can break easily by getting hard or sticky food stuck between them. The poking wires could result in an emergency visit to your orthodontist.
Apart from this reason, sticky food can get stuck between your braces. And you already know how hard it is to brush and floss teeth with braces. Add to it the hassle of cleaning the stuck food item. Moreover, if you don’t brush properly, you invite bacteria to create cavities and form plaque that can turn into hard tartar.
Hence, we recommend avoiding food that could lead to damage.
What Can You Not Eat with Braces?
Some food needs to be avoided during the entire course of your braces treatment as they carry the potential to loosen or break your braces. The food might even stick under the brackets and wires, causing bacterial growth in your teeth.
The following foods are best to be avoided:
- Chewing gum
- Popcorn
- Hard pretzels
- Crunchy chips
- Whole pickles
- Hard cookies
- Ice
- Nuts
- Whole fruits – apples, pears
- Hard bread crust
- Hard, sticky candies
- Corn on the cob
- Meat on the bone
- Whole veggies – carrots
What Should You Do if the Brackets Loosen or Break?
Often, even after following the diet restrictions and other rules, your brackets and wires can loosen or break. Sometimes even the rubber band comes off. It happens, so relax! You should schedule a visit to your orthodontist to avoid causing any further damage!
If you are looking to get started with your braces treatment in Fresno, weat Thurman Orthodontics can help you out! Our team of experienced experts takes pride in providing outstanding personal service with cutting-edge technology and an amazing ambiance that makes up a wholesome experience for every patient.
FAQs:
- Can you eat chips with braces?
No, hard food such as crunchy chips, pretzels and other hard forms of bread can damage your brackets, eventually breaking them.
- Can you eat popcorn with braces?
No, all types of popcorn are bad for your braces. Moreover, certain types are worse. For example, coated popcorn, like sticky and crunchy caramel popcorn, can get caught in your braces and form cavities or bacteria build-up.
- Can you eat ice cream with braces?
Yes, you can! Ice cream is great for soothing pain or discomfort caused by braces. So, anything that is soft and cold can reduce inflammation and irritation. But make sure you are consuming it within a limit, and always brush after eating ice cream.
- What candy can you eat with braces?
The soft candies that melt in your mouth are considered safer to consume with braces. You can enjoy chocolates without caramel or nuts, marshmallows, soft cookies, and peanut butter cups.
- Can you eat pizza with braces?
Yes, but without the crust, it can damage the brackets or wires of the braces.
Dr. Brian Thurman has spent his entire life enjoying all the beauty that California has to offer. A Fresno native, he still escapes to the ocean or the mountains whenever his busy schedule allows. Driven by his love for natural beauty, Dr. Thurman enjoys creating beautiful smiles and healthy bites that last a lifetime. He is proud to be the only Ivy League trained Orthodontist in the Fresno/Clovis area.