When you have moderate to major dental malocclusions, you should wear braces to straighten your teeth. If you consume the wrong types of foods, then you are more likely to damage your braces, requiring an emergency visit to your dentist to repair the devices. Fortunately, your dentist will give you a list of foods to avoid with braces, including:
• Corn chips – too hard and sticky
• Pretzels – can break the wires on your braces
• Nuts – can dislodge the brackets of your braces
• Tough meat – too difficult to chew
• Potato chips – sticky and hard
• Caramels – have sticky interiors
• Taco shells – you can use soft tortillas instead
• Bagels – to difficult to bite into
• Raw carrots – will break the wires
• Popcorn – kernels can harm your braces
• Corn on the cob – cut the corn from the cob first
Before trying to eat anything, you should determine if it is sticky or hard so that you won’t damage your braces. While it may seem that there are a lot of foods to avoid with braces, there are still many that you can eat; it’s just about knowing which ones you can.
Foods That You Can Eat While Wearing Braces
It is important to choose nutritious foods and beverages to keep your teeth, gums and facial bones healthy. There are several types of foods that you can cook or chop into small pieces to make chewing the items easier to avoid harming your braces. Some of the foods that you can eat include:
• Baked potatoes – avoid eating the peel
• Steamed vegetables – such as broccoli or cauliflower that is cut into small pieces
• Fish – broiled, steamed or baked salmon, cod or tuna
• Fruit – chopped into small pieces or mixed into smoothies
• Chicken – cooked completely and cut into tiny sections
• Pasta – choose multigrain varieties
• Spaghetti sauce – store-bought or homemade
• Pizza – make it at home with a soft crust
• Smoothies – made with yogurt, fruit and other soft ingredients
• Salads – cut the dark leafy greens into small pieces
• Grapes – use your back teeth to chew this seedless fruit
• Eggs – cooked in almost any way
• Bread – multigrain breads that are soft and seedless
If you would like more information on the foods to avoid with braces, consider us here at Unique Orthodontics in Madera, the Buchanan Area, Fresno, and Tulare. Contact us today to schedule your consultation!