Foods You Can’t Eat With Braces

Orthodontic treatment involves the use of braces to move your teeth into the right position. While braces are effective in correcting a number of dental problems, there are certain food items that should be avoided while wearing braces. Listed below are just a few of them.

Sticky Foods

You can’t eat sticky foods when you have braces, so here are some of the foods that you should avoid for the first few days you have your braces put on. While you should stay away from these foods for a few weeks or a month, some types of food are more harmful than others. At the very least, eating these certain items will make it harder to keep your teeth clean and can also cause damage to your orthodontic appliance.

Sugary Foods

Sugary foods are terrible for your teeth in general. When you have braces, that especially holds true because plaque can more easily cling to the wires and brackets of braces. As you eat sugary food and then bite down on your brackets, you are essentially moving all of that sugar around your mouth, which can cause tooth decay and cavities. If you do eat some sticky foods — whether it’s just one lollipop or a big bag of gummy bears — make sure to rinse out your mouth thoroughly afterward. Brushing and flossing with braces can be tough, but it’s still important to do those two things in order to keep your teeth healthy.

Crunchy Foods

It’s best to avoid eating crunchy foods when you have braces, as these foods can easily break your wires or brackets. Instead, stick to soft foods like mashed potatoes, pasta with sauce, tofu, fish sticks, and cooked vegetables. In addition to being easier on your teeth, these softer options are generally healthier, too.

Hard Candy

Although hard candy causes less damage to braces than other types of food, it does pose the risk of damaging the wires and brackets of your orthodontic appliances. The sugar in hard candy can also promote tooth decay when consumed frequently, so it’s best to avoid this type of treatment altogether.

If you do have to indulge in a piece of hard candy, be sure to brush your teeth thoroughly with fluoride toothpaste after consuming it. Brushing your teeth helps remove any lingering particles of the candy from the teeth and along the gum line that may have been left behind after your snack. This can help limit the potential damage to the teeth. Flossing will also help to remove any bits of hardened sugar that are lodged between the teeth in order to prevent cavities.