If you’re thinking of getting affordable braces in the Suntree, Viera or Rockledge area, you’re going to get the “food talk” from your orthodontist Dr. Natalia Valderrama at some point. This is actually one of the most common questions we hear about braces from both kids and adults: What can I eat? Here are some of the main guidelines that we will also share with you when you come to Valderrama Orthodontics for braces.

When You First Get Braces

First, the process of getting braces installed on your teeth is not painful. However, it does make the inside of your mouth a bit sensitive as you first adjust to having braces on your teeth. This means that for the first few days, you should avoid certain kinds of foods as your mouth goes through the adjustment period.

You should avoid these foods for the first week or so after your new braces are installed:

• Spicy foods
• Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, etc.)
• Thick cuts of meat (thin slices should be okay)
• Breads or rolls

Okay, so if that’s the list you should avoid in the first days after getting braces, what can you eat? The good news is that you won’t starve! There are actually many types of food that you can eat — you just have to ensure that they are soft and easy to chew. Here’s a partial list of foods you can eat during the adjustment period:

• Noodles or other soft pastas
• Mashed potatoes (and gravy!)
• Soups
• Veggies that are soft or cooked
• Soft, non-citrus fruits like sliced peaches or plums
• Fish
• Ice cream and smoothies
• Scrambled eggs
• Soft cheeses
• Oatmeal
• Yogurt

Plus, desserts are fine too — so long as they are soft and moist (nothing crunchy or hard to chew). Also, desserts should not be too sugary, which we’ll discuss more below.

After the first week or so passes and the inside of your mouth no longer feels sensitive, you can resume most of your regular diet.

Foods & Snacks to Avoid at All Costs

Now we’ve arrived at the more difficult part of the dreaded “food talk” for many people. There are certain foods that you will need to avoid during the entire process with braces. Eating these foods can damage your teeth (because it’s harder to brush them with braces). They can also damage the wires or bands on your braces in a worst-case scenario, which we want to avoid.

Stay away from these foods if you want to have the most successful outcome with your braces:

• Crunchy snacks: Pretzels, crackers, potato chips, popcorn, nuts
• Crunchy vegetables and/or fruits (such as apples or pears)
• Candy: Nothing gooey and chewy, nothing hard and crunchy
• Pizza crust: Just scrape off the toppings and eat them with a fork like your ancestors did before crust was invented
• No chewing on ice cubes: Drink through a straw and keep the ice out of your mouth
• Gum: No chewing gum. No bubblegum. Period!

That covers most of the bases. One more thing about sugary foods and drinks, however. You should plan to limit your intake of any foods that are high in processed sugars. Sugar mixes with saliva and forms plaque on your teeth, which in turn can lead to cavities. It is also very challenging to brush plaque off your teeth now, because the braces have created a lot of hard-to-reach spaces that you can’t get to with your toothbrush.

So, for the duration of your time with braces on your teeth, try to limit things like soft drinks and cupcakes. It’s okay to have them occasionally, but probably not as often as you are used to.

Oh, No! My Braces Got Messed Up!

Sometimes accidents happen with the diet, and a patient can end up with a wire or a band loose on their braces. We get it. Temptations are difficult to resist. Maybe you tripped and fell down with your mouth open, and that piece of salt water taffy just fell in your mouth and damaged your braces. (We don’t judge here at Valderrama Orthodontics.)

If something goes wrong with your braces due to an unfortunate candy mishap, it’s not the end of the world. But you SHOULD call our office immediately to get your braces repaired. Don’t try to pull on the wires or bands yourself, because you could make the problem worse.

If you have any questions about your braces or need them repaired, contact us here or call our office at 321.425.5050 for an appointment in one of our  convenient locations. We are now located in Suntree, Viera, and Rockledge.