What Can and Can't I Eat With Braces?

Wearing braces imposes special rules for eating and drinking. What can and cannot be eaten? Let’s find out.

Braces are the most effective way to align your teeth. An orthodontic system can solve most bite problems and transform your smile. However, the final result depends a lot on the patient as well.

It is important to observe some dietary restrictions while wearing braces. Failure to follow the recommendations may result in damage to the system, cavities, inflammation of the tissue, and stains on the enamel. Treatment period in this case increases, and the long-awaited result is indefinitely postponed.

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Foods in the First Days After the Placement of Braces

The process of bite correction consists of several stages. The initial stage is adaptation. The body gradually gets used to the new appliance. Uncomfortable sensations in the first days arise in response to the beginning of tooth movement. Biting and chewing causing pain in some patients.

Within a week after placement, special care should be taken about what you cannot eat with braces. Food should be chopped, eliminating stress on the jaw apparatus, especially on the front teeth.

The optimal diet at this stage:

pureed, mashed in a blender (vegetable, pea, fruit), porridge;
Broths, soups without solids;

Yogurts, semi-liquid cottage cheese, puddings;
baby food with meat or fish.

To relieve the discomfort, it is recommended to rinse the mouth with dental solutions and herbal infusions after each meal. With this diet, pain sensations are insignificant, resorting to painkillers is not necessary.

Gradually the menu can be expanded. Food should be chewed only with the back teeth, avoid biting. By the end of the adaptation period in the diet most familiar foods are introduced, but some restrictions remain throughout the course of treatment.

What Can’t I Eat With Braces?

Dietary restrictions often cause psychological discomfort and physical discomfort. The list of what not to eat with braces includes mostly unhealthy foods. The main thing is to exclude harsh, sticky and sticky food, as well as foods that cause increased enamel sensitivity or irritation. But the reward for showing patience will be a beautiful smile!

Solid Food

Braces effectively correct your bite by applying an individualized amount of force to the arch, set by your doctor. Hard food can dislodge the construction, chipping the brace and changing the vector of impact. As a result, a loose fit of the brace will not provide the expected results and treatment may be delayed.

Foods that should not be eaten while wearing braces:

Nuts, sunflower seeds, candy canes;

Candy and marshmallows;
Dry breads, hard breads, breadcrumbs;
products with crispy crust;

chips, snacks, hard cookies;
hard smoked meats.

Meat should be chosen of soft varieties with short fibers. It should be cut into small pieces or cooked into minced meat before consumption. Fresh vegetables and fruits can be eaten in any quantity, but tough crops (carrots, radishes, apples) require prior chopping or stewing until soft.

Sticky foods

Sticky and viscous foods get stuck between the teeth and in the elements of the braces. Sticky foods, especially those with high sugar content, cause cavities, periodontal inflammation, can break or bend brackets and move them out of place.

The most dangerous foods include:

chewing gum;

Viscous sweets – toffee, nougat, marmalade;
processed cheeses;
cornflakes;

Pastries soaked in caramel, chocolate, and dried fruit.

Foods with dyes

Some beverages and solid foods contain natural or artificial dyes. Because of the porous surface, aesthetic braces are easily stained, for this reason, foods with dyes are included in the list of what not to eat or drink during orthodontic treatment.

These include:

sugary sodas;
black tea;
berries, juices, beets;

sauces, condiments of saturated colors.

Most of all, such products cause damage to aesthetic braces (sapphire, ceramic). Under the influence of dyes, the construction becomes yellowish, from which it is impossible to get rid later.

What Should Be the Temperature of the Food?

Food should not be too hot or too cold. The tissues of the mouth while wearing braces are the most sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. Thermal exposure negatively affects the tooth enamel, the adhesive base and the braces structure, and contributes to their deformation. As a result, the orthodontic appliance loses its properties.

To avoid trouble, adhere to the following rules:

Do not consume frozen foods, excessively hot meals and drinks;

Avoid sudden temperature changes, alternating hot and cold food;
keep to temperature, as the optimal temperature for food and hot drinks is 104-122˚F (40-50˚C), and not less than 50˚F (10˚C) for cold dishes.

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What You Can Eat With Braces

Fixing your bite is a complex process of tissue changes. During this period, the body needs a complete nutrition. If you are wondering “What to eat with braces?”, we offer you a basic list of foods that are recommended to eat:

Protein products with a balanced composition of amino acids (meat, fish, cottage cheese, eggs) – the main source of development, tissue renewal;
complex carbohydrates (vegetables, cereals, coarse dietary fibers, fruits) – the main source of energy;

vitamins, minerals (fruits, greens, vegetables, legumes, dairy, animal products) – regulators of all physiological processes
healthy fats (vegetable oil, seafood, grain dishes) – participate in tissue formation, provide energy.

Virtually everything that can be eaten with braces belongs to the complete diet of a healthy person. In individual cases (for example, allergies or intolerance of certain products), personal dietary adjustments are possible.

Metal Braces – read about them.

How to Clean Your Braces After Eating

If you are planning orthodontic treatment, you need to know not only what not to eat while wearing braces. It is important to understand how to properly care for your mouth. There are special hygienic means for this: special toothbrushes, brushes, dental floss with hard tips, irrigators, fluoride rinses.

Brushing teeth and braces after eating is carried out in several stages:

First, brushing is done with a toothbrush. It is necessary to place the brush under the arch and wipe the locks, arches in a circular motion. Treat the inner and outer surface of each tooth, the space between them, the gum sulcus.
Then the brush is cleaned with a toothbrush. It is necessary to pass it between the teeth and arches, remove food particles with vertical movements. The same manipulation is carried out with each tooth.
Then there is cleaning with dental floss. You need to put 40 cm length of floss under the arcs of braces and in the gap between the teeth, clean each tooth separately.

After that, you should treat your mouth with an irrigator and rinse several times with a mouthwash with fluoride liquid.

In addition to self-care, it is recommended that every six months you have your teeth professionally cleaned by a dentist and have them examined. Dense deposits are removed by ultrasound. If you do not do this, the microbes that live in the plaque actively reproduce and destroy enamel.