Once your braces have been affixed to your teeth, you will probably discover that your choice of foods is now limited. Dr. Marc S. Wright, our Atlanta and Marietta orthodontist, would like each of our patients who wears braces to have a positive experience as their teeth are being treated.
Even though modern braces are sturdy, they must still be treated with care. This means you should stick to eating foods that are gentle on your brackets and wires holding your braces in place. You probably already know to avoid eating foods that are hard, crunchy, or sticky. Soft foods are usually fine to eat for those wearing braces since they are simply so much gentler on your oral hardware.
From the moment we put your braces on, we explain to you how important it is to avoid certain types of foods that can damage or even break your braces including sticky, tough, crunchy, and hard foods. You were also told you must alter your usual eating habits somewhat since the brackets cannot withstand the stress of biting. Your brackets could come away from your teeth and break if you bite into foods while wearing them. Should this occur regularly, you may need to wear your braces longer than normal, meaning you must wait even longer to finally see your new smile.
This may leave you wondering what you can actually eat. The good news is you can enjoy a variety of foods and snacks without worrying if you are damaging your braces. Sometimes, you can still enjoy the same foods as before, but with minor alterations. For example, you could still eat pizza if you cut it up into smaller pieces and chew only with your back teeth. Other examples of foods that can be eaten this way are soft tacos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft fruit.
Foods to Enjoy While Wearing Braces
- Soft fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, nectarines, and kiwi
- Vegetables that are steamed until soft
- Tender meats such as turkey, meatballs, soft-cooked chicken, and lunch meats
- Dairy products such as soft cheeses and yogurt
- Seafood including salmon, tuna, crab cakes, and cod
- Snacks such as applesauce, pudding, smoothies, bananas, jello, and ice cream
- Grains including pasta and soft-cooked rice
- Eggs and soup
- Soft breads such as biscuits, muffins, pancakes, and soft tortillas
These are just a few examples of the many foods you can eat while wearing braces. Just keep in mind to avoid sticky, gooey, hard, or crunchy foods that may damage your braces. Remember to not bite down hard on something that may break your braces. If you feel a temptation to eat a food such as corn-on-the-cob, you can always remove the kernels before eating.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding what foods you can eat when wearing your braces, feel free to contact our Atlanta and Marietta offices for more information.
