Foods You Can’t Eat with Braces

What to Eat & What to Avoid

While you go through the process of aligning your teeth with braces, you need to consider what you eat to avoid any potential problems. Brackets and wires can be dislodged with something sticky, while certain foods may get stuck in your braces, creating tooth decay. Whether you want to maintain your braces or keep your teeth in pristine shape, we recommend avoiding common food pitfalls.

Take a look at just some examples of foods you can’t eat with braces.

Hard Food

Enough force can cause your braces to break, so hard food is a no-go. Carrots and other raw veggies, hard candy, ice, hard cookies, and other hard foods should be avoided.

Sticky Food

Probably the most well-known entry on the no-no list is sticky candy. Caramel, taffy, and gum can create major problems for your braces, not to mention getting stuck on your teeth and creating cavities.

Crunchy Food

Unfortunately, even crunchy food can disrupt your braces. Snacks like hard pretzels and popcorn should be avoided, and even then you should also stay away from nuts and many types of chips.

Other Food

Certain foods are just hard to bite into with braces, especially foods that require you to bite down with your front teeth. Corn on the cob, chicken wings, bagels, beef jerky, and apples are at the top of that list. Pizza crust and large pieces of meat should also be avoided.

The list of items to avoid eating may seem daunting, but there is plenty you can eat while you have braces! Pasta, potatoes, soft breads, most fruits, and cooked (soft) veggies are all safe to enjoy. And, of course, most dairy products are easy to eat with braces and will cause no issues, so continue eating yogurt and cheese. Lastly, if you do want to eat candy, just make sure it’s not hard or sticky, and be sure to thoroughly brush and floss your teeth afterward.

Taking care of your teeth and braces doesn’t have to be a worry. Just plan ahead and think twice before you bite down on anything hard, sticky, or crunchy. And if you have any issues with loose or broken braces, just give us a call at Adirondack Orthodontics.

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