5 Foods to Avoid When You’ve Got Braces

 


Congratulations, you have your new braces! Time to show them off, right? But wait, you should probably know a little bit about how to care for them.

Don’t go snacking on tortilla chips and eating popcorn. Before you start satisfying your cravings by eating the treats you love, you’ll need to ensure that you don’t eat any food that may be detrimental to your new braces.

Here’s a rundown of the foods that you should avoid.


 

1. Sticky Candy

Even with no braces on, sticky and sugary foods are always bad for teeth. However, with braces on, the problem just amplifies because your braces may get hold of these sticky foods. Once they stick to your braces, getting them off your teeth will be an uphill battle. Even worse, you’ll become susceptible to cavities.

Make sure you steer clear of eating taffy, licorice, caramels, fruit roll-ups, gummy bears, and bubble gum (though you can eat sugar-free gum in moderation).

2. Pizza

Though tempting, pizza, especially its crust, is quite chewy. Your braces would never like the idea of you chewing on a pizza crust. Plus, you’ll find it difficult to eat pizza, especially if the crust starts getting stuck in the brackets—an unsightly sight.

Items that are off-limits comprise bagels, pizza crust, beef jerky, and large pieces of chewy meat (very small pieces are okay).

3. Corn on the Cob

When you’re wearing braces, biting foods with your front teeth becomes very difficult. You may be at risk of loosening the brackets or bending the wires.

Similar foods to avoid include ribs, whole pickles, chicken wings, whole apples and pears, and corn on the cob (you can cut corn off the cob if you really want to eat it).



4. Hard Candy

Hard foods won’t just damage your braces, they’ll hurt your teeth as well. If you’ve just got your braces or have had a recent adjustment, hard foods are a big no.

Avoid foods like hard rolls, peanut brittle, hard cookies or biscuits, some raw veggies (for example, carrot), and hard candies (candy canes and lollipops are no exception).

5. Popcorn

Crunchy foods like popcorns can bend wires on your braces, knock off brackets, and loosen bands. They can also promote toothache or tooth decay by getting stuck in your braces.

Stay away from crunchy foods like nuts, popcorn, pretzels, hard shell tacos, chips, and crunchy veggies.

Protect Your Teeth With Advanced Dental Center

Gooey, sticky, chewy, and crunchy foods can lengthen your treatment time and damage your braces. When you follow the advice of our dentist in Rockville, you’ll know what to eat and how to keep your braces functional. Yep, your hard work will produce outstanding results.

If you have any questions or concerns about our general dentistry services, please get in touch with us.

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