Wearing braces is a necessary step in many patients’ journeys to straight, healthy smiles. While you will need to make a few small sacrifices to what you can eat with braces, the results will be well worth your while.
Thankfully, wearing braces won’t require you to make too many dietary adjustments. Take note of these foods to eat and avoid when wearing braces. Maldonado Orthodontics provides expert orthodontic care for braces in Metairie, LA, ensuring your smile’s health and beauty.
What Can You Eat With Braces? Everything You Need To Know
Caring for braces is essential to prevent damage and reduce the need for extra visits to the orthodontist.Proper care can also help your braces work more efficiently, allowing them to come off sooner. This guide provides helpful tips on which foods to enjoy and avoid to maintain your braces effectively.
Foods To Avoid With Braces
Certain foods are more likely to damage braces than others. They can also become trapped between the bracket and tooth, making it challenging to clean your teeth and prevent cavities.
Generally, avoid these foods when wearing braces:
- Hard foods: Raw vegetables, croutons, tough bread, hard cookies and crackers, ice, pretzels, popcorn
- Sticky foods: Gum, caramel, taffy, fruit snacks, gummy bears
- Chewy foods: Thin-crust pizza, tough meats, celery
- Foods that can stain the teeth: Curries, red wine, coffee
Aside from these foods, avoid any that could dislodge the brackets when you bite into them. Biting directly into corn on the cob or a whole apple could cause your brackets to crack or break. It’s best to cut these and other similar foods into bite-sized pieces to prevent damage to the braces.
Safe Foods for Braces Wearers
So, what can you eat with braces? Most foods not on the list above are safe for braces wearers. Just be sure to brush your teeth thoroughly at least twice a day to remove any lingering food particles that may have become trapped behind the brackets. Also, alert your orthodontist if you notice any signs of damage, such as bent wires or snapped rubber bands.
After receiving a braces adjustment from the orthodontist, your teeth and mouth may feel sore for a day or two. Eat soft foods to prevent pain when chewing, such as:
- Mashed potatoes
- Pasta
- Yogurt
- Oatmeal
- Pudding
- Soup
- Scrambled eggs
Also, avoid extremely hot or cold foods during this recovery period. As your teeth shift to their new position, your mouth may be extra sensitive.
Reasons To Avoid Certain Foods While Wearing Braces
Aside from knowing what you can eat with braces, you should understand why avoiding certain foods is important. Eating the wrong foods when wearing braces can lead to consequences such as:
- Cracking or breaking the brackets
- Snapping the rubber bands
- Wearing down or chipping any part of the braces, requiring a replacement
- Food becoming stuck between the brackets and teeth
- Stains on the teeth, rubber bands, or clear components of the braces
- Tooth decay due to stuck foods
Damaging your braces can feel uncomfortable and require you to come in for an extra appointment. Meanwhile, when foods become trapped under your braces, you may not notice the effects until the teeth begin to decay or cavities form. If your teeth get stained, color differences can become more noticeable when we remove the braces.
Seek Braces Care in Metairie From Maldonado Orthodontics
What can you eat with braces? Understanding the foods you can and cannot eat helps you take the best care of your teeth. You can also read FAQs about braces and dental health tips for further information. If you’re seeking a board-certified orthodontist in Metairie, Maldonado Orthodontics is here for you. We’ve been serving the community for more than 36 years and have helped more than 6,000 patients achieve beautiful smiles. Call us today at (225) 869-3753 to schedule a free consultation.
