What Are the Foods to Avoid With Braces

With all this dental technology around, it allows you to get your dental needs met, most especially with your teeth. That's why it is no longer hard to have your teeth aligned with dental braces. However, it is still made of bands and wires. That's why you have to take precautions in consuming food because it might get damaged.

For braces to take effect, it will take weeks, months or even years before you can get rid of it, with the result that you expected the most. During this time, you are likely to feel much discomfort and irritation when you do tasks like chewing or eating that were normal for you before. 

The biggest struggle for anyone with braces is to get rid of the food that once loved to eat so much. Yes, you've read that right. You need to cut down consumption of certain food because they might damage your braces or at worst get stuck under the braces and create a bigger dental issue. We are going to discuss below the food you can and can't eat with braces!

What Can You Not Eat with Braces?

Popcorn

It will be very difficult to remove popcorn when it's stuck to your braces. It might take you an hour to do so or worse, you might need help from your dentist. This simply means that if you can't remove the popcorn it might cause inflammation not just to your gums but also between your teeth.

Nuts

Nuts are the soft type of food wherein you can just chew and eat right away. Instead, you need to break it using your teeth that may break your bracket or wires. Moreover, it is not ideal for people with braces because it can be hard to remove when it gets stuck under braces and in between teeth.

Chewing Gum

Chewing gum with xylitol can be a good product to use to stimulate saliva flow and reduce bad breath but it is not the best option when you have braces. The problem with gums is that they can stick to the wire and the position of the braces might get dislodged. With this case, you will need another adjustment session with your dentist. 

Hard Candies

Actually, it does not matter if it's a hard or soft candy, you need to avoid both. The reason for this is that there are times that you have not noticed that you are already biting down the candy which could break the wires of your braces. Moreover, candies are made of sugar and these sugar can feed the bad bacteria in your mouth causing activities to areas that are hard to reach by your toothbrush.

Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables

Anything crunchy involves chewing and when you chew these fruits and vegetables, there is a high chance that the wires will bend. These fruits and vegetables will also likely get stuck under braces when chewed to small pieces and can be very hard to remove. 

Chips

There are ways you can still enjoy chips with braces on. You only need to pick the baked or fried ones so it will melt in your mouth even without chewing them. But for these crunchy chips, your braces are not safe with those types of snacks.

Ice

There are some drinks that contain ice which you absentmindedly chew sometimes. This is something you need to avoid because chewing ice will disposition a wire or may even break your bracket. 

Best Thing to Do If You Have Braces

You want to enjoy that snack at least for once but you have braces? That's easy, you only need to purchase a water flosser that can help you remove the remaining food particles stuck under your braces or in between your teeth. It is understandable that you can't use string floss the same way as before, because you have wires that might give you discomfort when you start to pull the string. 

With a water flosser, you just need to turn it on and let the water flow and clean your teeth. Amazing, right? You can even share this device because the best type of water flosser comes with 4 jet tips meant for other members of the family. Here is how it's used for your braces!

Steps in Using Water Flosser

1. Fill the reservoir with warm water before placing it on the base.
2. Water flossers come with different tips so choose the one that you favored the most. 
3. Click the tip into the handle.
4. Turn on the water flosser and set the control dial too high to let the water flow. (The next time you will use it, you can set the control dial to any type of pressure you want.)
5. In a sink, you have to lean over so that the water won’t stream down to your clothes.
6. Place the tip at the gumline and let the water flow to clean each tooth.
7. Move it from one gum to another.
8. Once you have finished flossing your teeth, turn the water flosser off and remove the tip.

What Can You Eat with Braces?

Anything that is easy to chew can be eaten when you have braces. If the food has a smooth texture, there's no way it can irritate your braces because you don't have to chew hard which causes discomfort and pain. Here are some of the food you can try with braces on:

• Soft vegetables and fruits
• Mashed potatoes
• Seafoods
• Bread
• Dairy
• Meats
• Grains
• Soups
• Sandwiches
• Ice cream 
• Cake
• Milkshake

Conclusion

If you have other concerns about what you can eat and not eat with braces, it's better to consult your dentist and never ever hesitate to ask. It's important to follow the food and flossing technique discussed above so you won't have to wear your braces for a long time.

Disclaimer:

The content in this article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen. The author and publisher do not take responsibility for any consequences resulting from the information provided in this article.