Getting braces can feel a bit overwhelming at first, especially when you’re not sure what you can and can’t eat. Will you have to live on baby food and soup for two years? Of course not, but there are some general rules and guidelines that you will need to follow in order to prevent damage to your braces and to keep your teeth healthy.
It doesn’t take much force to remove or “break” the braces off your teeth. The cement used to fasten the brackets to your teeth is designed to come off easily. You wouldn’t want the orthodontist to have to use a jackhammer to get your braces off! But that means that any heavy force can cause damage to your braces, which can in turn extend the treatment time.
Hard, crunchy foods can easily break off brackets; sticky foods can loosen brackets and bend or distort wires, as well as stay on your teeth and braces for a long time, increasing risk of decay. Use good judgment—avoid anything hard or sticky.
Here is a partial list of “NO” foods:
Hard Foods
- Ice (not exactly a food but absolutely destructive to your braces and your teeth)
- Popcorn
- Nuts, peanut brittle
- Hard candy
- Hard or extra crunchy chips
- Candied apples (which are also sticky!)
- Hard breads (pizza crust, bagels, hard pretzels)
Sticky Foods
- Gum
- Fruit Roll-ups
- Gummy bears
- Taffy and Caramels
- Starburst
- Bit-O-Honeys
- Skittles
- Milk Duds
Hmmm… notice that all the sticky foods are candy? All candy can pretty much be classified as hard or sticky, if not BOTH! Do your teeth a favor and step away from the candy!
Use Caution
- Fruits and Vegetables: Whole, raw fruits and vegetables such as apples, celery and carrots should be sliced and eaten carefully. Corn on the cob should be sliced off.
- Grains: Hard crusty breads should be broken and eaten in small pieces; avoid small seeds and unground whole grains.
- Meats: Be careful with stringy or tough cuts of meat; do not eat meat right off the bone (ribs, chicken wings); cut meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
When your teeth hurt, or when you just can’t think of anything that isn’t forbidden to eat, here are some nice safe choices for you:
- Yogurt
- Soft cheeses, such as brie, cottage cheese, or thinly sliced Swiss, cheddar, etc.
- Milk or chocolate milk
- Custard or pudding
- Soft, smooth-textured bread
- Muffins without nuts or chunks
- Corn bread, corn muffins
- Tortillas
- Pancakes
- Couscous
- Pasta
- Soft-cooked rice, risotto
- Polenta
- Grits
- Meatloaf or meatballs
- Chicken salad
- Thinly sliced lunch meats
- Tofu
- Soft-cooked fish
- Tuna salad
- Soups
- Soft-cooked carrots, squash
- Mashed potatoes
- Fresh spinach, chard, kale, or other greens, cooked or steamed until very soft
- Avocados, guacamole
- Salsa (non-chunky)
- Beans (mashed it necessary)
- Hummus
- Bananas and other soft, ripe fruit
- Applesauce
- Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet
- Milkshakes and smoothies
