One of the most common questions we hear is, “What can I still eat when I have braces?” We get it! And the fact is, there are a lot of foods you can still eat with braces for the next couple of years while undergoing treatment. The important thing to remember is that you’ll end up with a perfect smile after all of this, right? Here’s a look at the foods you should avoid with braces, and some of the great food that you can still eat!

Why Some Foods Should Be Avoided with Braces

Certain types of foods can be damaging to the wires, brackets, or bands on your set of braces. If that happens, you’ll have to come in for an extra appointment.

Hard or sticky foods are the most important things to avoid. Along with changes to your diet, taking care of your teeth through good oral hygiene is also important. Brushing and flossing after every meal is doubly important. If bits of food are allowed to stay on the teeth, it can cause spotting or discoloration on the teeth when your braces come off at the end of treatment.

So, follow your dietary instructions and take good care of your teeth and braces!

Foods to Avoid with Braces

We’ve already mentioned that you should avoid hard and sticky foods while wearing braces. This includes stuff like gum and nuts, or hard types of candy like lollipops or candy canes. Foods like this can loosen the wire on your braces, or cause a bracket to come loose. That can delay or extend the amount of time you’ll have to wear braces, so it’s better to avoid those foods altogether. Here’s a list of additional things you should avoid while wearing braces:

• Potato chips and corn chips
• Hard candy
• Nuts
• Chewing gum
• Sticky candies
• Popcorn
• Corn on the cob
• Raw apples
• Jerky

This is only a partial list. When your braces are first installed on your teeth, our staff at Valderrama Orthodontics will provide you with literature and brochures that explain all the changes you’ll need to make to your diet while undergoing treatment. If you ever have any questions during the process of wearing braces, you can always call us at (321) 425-5050 during business hours and ask questions.

Foods are not the only things that can cause problems with your braces. A lot of kids have habits of biting or chewing on hard substances, which can also break or damage the wire or brackets on your braces. You should avoid chewing pens or pencils in class. Don’t bite your fingernails, don’t chew on a toothpick, and don’t chew on a drinking straw. Basically, if you have any habit where you bite or chew on hard objects, you should break that habit while wearing your braces.

Foods You Can Still Eat While Wearing Braces

We covered the list of foods that you should avoid while wearing braces. That still leaves a ton of other great foods you can still enjoy during your treatment! You can still enjoy:

• Pasta
• Mashed potatoes (and gravy!)
• Boneless meats
• Soft, cooked vegetables
• Fruit
• Soup
• Pancakes
• Casseroles

Wearing braces is actually a fun and exciting process. And as you can see, there are still many types of food you can still enjoy. It’s also important to remember that treatment with braces is temporary. After a couple of years, you’ll be able to eat pizza with the crust again. The big difference will be that you’ll have a perfect smile when eating that pizza crust!

Dr. Valderrama is an amazing orthodontist who specializes in working with kids and all types of braces or clear aligners. Contact our office if you want to schedule an orthodontic appointment.