Eating with Braces
There are right foods and wrong foods when eating with braces. Of course you can eat with your new braces, there are some slight modifications that we recommend.
What to Eat When You Have Braces
When you have braces, choosing the right foods is essential to protect your brackets and wires and ensure your treatment stays on track. Hard, chewy, or sticky foods—such as nuts, popcorn, hard candies, caramel, gum, bagels, and crunchy raw vegetables—can cause serious damage by bending wires, loosening brackets, or getting stuck in your braces. These types of foods can also make it more difficult to keep your teeth clean, increasing the risk of plaque buildup and tooth decay. Even healthy foods like apples or carrots should be sliced into small, manageable pieces to avoid putting too much pressure on your braces.
To make eating with braces easier and safer, opt for soft, braces-friendly foods that are gentle on your teeth and appliances. Good choices include smoothies, yogurt, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soft fruits, cooked vegetables, pasta, soups, and rice. These foods not only reduce the risk of damaging your braces but also help you stay comfortable during treatment. Don’t forget to brush and floss after every meal to remove any food particles and maintain good oral hygiene—your future smile will thank you!
Here is a List of Foods We Recommend You Generally Avoid.
Candy (hard chocolate, chewy gummy bears, etc.)
Any whole hard fruit (cut them into pieces instead)
Large pieces of any meat (cut into small slices)
Hard crusty bread, including pizza crusts
Most hard cookies
Chewing on pencils
Taffy
“Nutty” peanut butter
Ice
Corn on the cob
Hard carrots
Biting meat off ribs or bones (cut meat off instead)
Cereals with nuts/granola
Any type of nut (other than thinly sliced)
Unpopped popcorn (be careful with the husks of the popcorn getting stuck in your gums)
