Foods to Eat With Braces: A Guide for Orthodontic Patients
Although you may fear being on a mashed potato diet while wearing braces, it really isn’t that bad. When you first get your braces and following adjustments, your mouth may be a bit tender. Aside from restrictions designed to avoid damaging your braces, you will be able to maintain an almost “normal” diet. Some of the items on the list of foods to eat with braces may even surprise you!
Dietary Restrictions are About Protecting Your Braces
Even though braces are strong enough to move your teeth around, they have their weaknesses. When your orthodontist instructs you to avoid certain foods, they are more concerned about the potential for damaging your braces.
The wires and brackets used for braces are fragile and can be damaged when chewing hard foods. If you break or dislodge the wires and bands, it may mean an emergency trip to the orthodontist. That can also lengthen your treatment period (and no one wants that!).
While wearing your braces, exercising common sense will help you make great dietary choices. You will want to stay away from sticky, chewy, crunchy, and hard foods. Chewy and sticky foods can stick in your wires. Crunchy and hard foods can dislodge or break the wires. Opt for puffed corn snacks instead of popcorn, and you’ll do just fine.
Safe Foods to Eat With Braces
When figuring out what foods to eat with braces, we find it helpful to concentrate on how they will act on your braces. You will still be able to maintain a varied diet of good foods and indulge in some snacks too, so it isn’t all bad.
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Soups are pretty much an open season for you. Even the chunky soups are tender enough not to damage your braces. Most cheeses and dairy products are also on the good-to-eat list. When it comes to bread and grains, your choice is going to depend on the crust density. Bagels and crusty rolls should be avoided, but most sandwich bread and dinner rolls are ok. If the bread requires you to pull and tug or bite down really hard, it should probably be avoided.
With beef, you may want to avoid that well-done Ribeye steak that is like chewing on a leather boot. Better choices include meatballs, shredded pork and chicken, and tender BBQ ribs that “fall off the bone.” Lasagna, spaghetti, and other rice and pasta dishes are all good. Hamburgers (minus that crispy bacon), lunchmeats, and other sandwich foods are generally on the ok list. Seafood is also a good option, but don’t use your teeth to crack open the crab legs, please.
Fruit, veggies, and snacks are a toss-up. Raw veggies are generally too hard and may cause damage, but cooked and steamed veggies are perfect. Some fruits are great, while others may cause damage. How you eat them makes a difference too. An apple eaten whole with the skin will damage your braces, but peeling it and dicing it into small half-inch pieces works great to limit potential damage. Avoid hard and crunchy, and opt for softer snacks, and you should be ok.
Order That Sub but Hold the Bacon
So now you know you won’t have to live on mashed potatoes for the duration of your treatment period. You can still have that sub sandwich, order the soft bread, and skip the bacon. Pizza too! Stay away from the thinner, crispy crusts and opt for the pan-style or thicker crust versions. Avoid tiny crisp toppings and enjoy that cheesy goodness.
At Hanson Place Orthodontics, we want you to have a great experience. We offer a free virtual consultation to get you started on having a perfect smile. If you have questions or need to schedule an appointment, you can email us at info@hansonplaceortho.com or call at (718) 622-2695. Our website has a chat feature in the lower right-hand corner for general questions, or you can text us 24/7 at (917) 601-8623.
