Imagine yourself with family or friends at a buffet, you’re at the end of your meal and are salivating over what dessert to eat. The endless options of sweet pastries to varieties of ice cream, yogurt, and fruits all sound enticing to you. You decide to grab some hard cookies, gummy worms, and mini caramel squares until you sit down on the table and realize all of your choices will negatively affect your braces. Braces offer the opportunity to feel more confident in your smile post-treatment but can be restrictive to your favorite foods during treatment. It can be hard to remember what is allowed and what is not, luckily, we will go over the top 5 foods to avoid so you don’t find yourself in the same predicament.
Crunchy/Hard Foods
Enjoying popcorn at the movies is a commonality for movie goers. Unfortunately, you’ll have to skip anything crunchy or hard-to-chew foods at the movies and anywhere else. Hard foods tend to damage your wires, brackets, and bonds since it may ultimately cause them to break entirely.
Gum and Chewy Foods
We all enjoy a minty gum after a meal or feel the need to freshen up one’s breath but when it comes to braces; it’s time to switch to good old mints. Gum causes a lot of “sticky” issues for braces as it could pull your wires and brackets and could make cleaning a nightmare if it gets caught in your braces.
From bagels to beef jerky, chewy foods can affect your braces by bending the wires and breaking your brackets. Sticky and chewy foods should be avoided so they don’t damage your braces and prolong your treatment process.
High-Sugar Foods
Carbonated beverages and sugar delights are enticing for all those who have a sweet tooth and love to indulge in anything sugar based. Sugar is known for its bad effects on natural teeth but can be even worse on braces by being caught in between your braces and slowly damaging your tooth enamel.
Foods You Bite Into
Other foods you may have to bite into, such as apples, corn, burgers, etc., all could potentially harm your braces by breaking and bending your brackets and wires. To avoid such damages, avoid eating corn on the cob and instead eat corn kennels, as well as eat sliced apples and small bite sized burgers.
What Can You Eat?
If you are curious about other foods to avoid and which delicious entrees you can eat, contact our dental office and get the full information. We are here to help with any questions regarding braces.
