Put down the popcorn and put away the caramels. When it comes to safe food to eat while wearing braces, you can forget the crunchy and sticky stuff.
One of the most difficult adjustments to living with life with braces is that you can’t eat whatever food you want whenever you want. Some foods can cause your hardware to pop free and damage it, or worse, injure your mouth. Some foods get stuck and are impossible to clean out and add to the risk of unsavory bacteria growing in your mouth. Yuck!
Let’s take a look at the foods you can still enjoy without busting a bracket.
FRUITS
Fruits are important to any balanced diet, but they can become a challenge to eat when wearing braces.
Soft fruits like blueberries and raspberries are easy foods to enjoy for braces wearers. You can eat harder fruits like apples, but you need to slice them first so you can chew them with your back teeth rather than bite into them with your front teeth.
VEGETABLES
Just like fruit, vegetables are an important staple in any diet, but you have to make a few changes to the way you enjoy them.
Some tough vegetables, like carrots and broccoli, can be cut into small pieces and chewed on the back teeth. But to play it safe, you’re better off steaming or boiling your vegetables and then enjoying them.
MEAT
Eating meat can be a real challenge for people who wear braces.
Avoid tough meat (which can snap hardware) and stringy meat (which can get caught between braces or teeth). You also aren’t going to be enjoying any meat that’s on a bone (like ribs or chicken) because you run the risk of popping a bracket.
Like fruit and vegetables, you’re going to need to cut meat into smaller, bite-size pieces to be able to eat them properly (using your back teeth). Choose leaner meats like fish and chicken since they are softer and easier to chew. Lean beef and pork are okay, too!
GRAINS
Generally speaking, grains are an easy food for people with braces to wear because they are often small, soft, and easily chewed. Avoid tiny grains, which could get lodged between your brackets and the rest of your hardware.
Similarly, avoid breads with hard crusts that are difficult to chew, like pizza crust or bagels.
DAIRY
When it comes to food for people with braces to enjoy, it doesn’t get any better than dairy. Dairy products are soft and require very little chewing.
If you’re lactose intolerant look for lactose-free or soy-based alternatives, which are generally on the same level as dairy when it comes to ease of consuming with braces.
If you get something stuck in your braces or a bracket pops off while eating, make sure you call Afdent right away so we can help take care of your teeth.