Braces can be costly dental cosmetics but a worthwhile investment that should be cared for during the treatment. While braces are not necessarily fragile in design, the wearer should attempt not to damage them. A part of the effort to keep your braces damage-free is to pay attention to the types of food you eat. What foods should you avoid when wearing braces? Let’s find out.
Sticky and Sugary Foods
You should stay clear of sticky, sugary foods if you have braces. These foods are terrible for your teeth and can work on your braces. Not only can these foods get stuck in your braces, but it can make cleaning them a challenging task. Some sticky, sugary foods to avoid include bubble gum, tootsie rolls, fruit roll-ups, jelly beans, gummy bears, licorice, taffy, caramel, and maple syrup.
Hard and Crunchy Foods
If you want to risk ruining your brackets and wires, eating hard foods is sure to do that. Avoid hard candies like jolly ranchers or lollipops, hard cookies, and crackers, and it’s a good idea to avoid nuts. Crunchy foods should also be a no-no when wearing braces because you risk bending the wires, loosening bands, and dislodging the brackets. It’s best to avoid crunchy foods like corn chips, pretzels, popcorn, and crunchy veggies, including raw broccoli and carrots. Do not chew on ice and avoid nuts, such as almonds and macadamia.
Chewy Foods
You should rule out particularly chewy foods from your diet. Some of the food in this category includes bagels, hard rolls, taffy, fudge, beef jerky, toffee, and licorice. You could lose a bracket eating these foods or bend a wire.
Foods Require Biting With Front Teeth
If you’re tempted to bite into your juicy granny smith apple, don’t do it. Biting with your front teeth is bad for your braces and could leave food stuck between your brackets and wires. Corn on the cob, chicken wings, ribs, apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, and pears usually requires some front teeth action. If you feel you can’t avoid these foods, choose to eat them differently. Slice them into smaller pieces rather than biting into any of these foods.
Contact Arch Orthodontics
At Arch Orthodontics, our team of skilled professionals can help you to achieve the perfect smile. We offer a wide array of orthodontic options to suit your specific needs. Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with us so we can work together to give you that million-dollar smile.
