Eating with Braces
After our doctors have placed your braces, or you receive an adjustment, your teeth and gums may feel tender. It is best to eat soft foods until the feeling subsides. Remember to select foods that will be gentle on your appliances and do not contain a lot of excess sugar. Check out the video below:
While you should eat soft foods during tender times of your orthodontic treatment, you are not limited to creamy foods all the time. In fact, you can mostly enjoy the same types of food you ate prior to receiving your braces. There are a few general exceptions though, including:
- Sticky Foods – Avoid chewing gum, caramels, toffee, or soft, chewy candies like Starburst or Sugar Daddies. These can yank your hardware and cause damage to your braces.
- Hard Foods – Hard foods can chip away at your appliances, so it is best to avoid ice, nuts, raw veggies (cooked veggies are ok), corn on the cob, apples, taco shells, and hard breads.
- Sugary Foods – With braces, food can become trapped easily. Sugary food is especially harmful as it causes decay to teeth. Minimize sugary items like ice cream, cookies, candy and soda.