If you have misaligned or crooked teeth, considering braces is often a great way to improve your appearance and dental health. However, it can be daunting as this dental tool accompanies considerable changes in your diet routine. Orthodontic professionals will recommend the right foods to eat, but having a more comprehensive understanding is critical.
Although braces allow people to have a healthy and confident smile, you should be cautious about eating certain foods. This ranges from crunchy foods, such as popcorns, to chewy foods, such as beef jerky.
With that in mind, here is a more in-depth guide on foods you should not eat with braces.
CRUNCHY FOODS
Crunchy foods can get stuck within brackets and the teeth, resulting in bacteria, plaque, and tartar buildup. When not removed on time, it can lead to cavities or tooth-associated pains. Besides, crunchy foods can bend or break brace wires, loosen bands, or rupture brackets. That said, here are crunchy foods you should stay away from for a healthy teeth alignment treatment process.
– Nuts
– Raw carrots, radishes, and broccoli
– Pretzels
– Popcorn
– Crunchy tacos
CHEWY FOODS
These foods often require extra chewing and gnawing before swallowing. If you wear braces, chewy foods can cause adverse damage to braces — loosening wires and brackets. Furthermore, such foods might get stuck in brackets and make them difficult to clean. While chewy foods may seem soft, they bring an extensive range of problems for people with braces.
Chewy foods off-limit for those wearing braces include:
– Jerky snacks
– Chewy candy
– Bagels
– Pizza crust
– Large meat pieces
STICKY AND SUGARY FOODS
By and large, sticky and sugary foods are unhealthy for teeth whether you wear braces or not. Most sugary foods directly connect to tooth decay because they accelerate the buildup of plaque that dissolves the enamel. And if you have braces, it worsens the situation as more sugars get trapped within brackets and teeth. This is also hard to clean and may affect your treatment procedure. Sticky and sugary foods to avoid include;
-Taffies
– Gummy bears
– Licorice
– Bubble gum
– Caramels
– Fruit roll-ups
HARD FOODS
Again, braces can break during the biting process — especially when they are new or recently adjusted. Always make sure you consume soft foods as recommended by a dentist. Here are some hard foods never to eat when wearing braces;
– Hard rolls
– Peanut brittle
– Hard candies
– Hard biscuits
– Hard cookies
FOODS THAT REQUIRE FRONT TEETH TO EAT
Some foods may be soft, non-sugary, and not chewy but require front teeth to eat. Biting these foods with teeth fitted with braces can loosen brackets or bend wires. Besides, it can make it hard to manage your braces, leading to an extended period of wearing these dental tools. These foods include;
– Ribs
– Whole pickles
– Corn on the cob
– Chicken wings
– Whole apples and pears
FOODS TO ENJOY WITH BRACES
There are foods you can freely enjoy eating with braces without any concern for bent wires, food getting stuck within the brackets, and cavities. These are;
– Pasta
– Meatballs
– Frozen or Greek yogurt
– Cheese or creamy peanut butter
– Soft crackers
– Fruit caps
– Steamed vegetables
