When you start treatment with braces, you may experience some minor dietary adjustments. Although your braces are sturdy and strong, you’ll still need to exercise caution to prevent wires and brackets from popping out of place.
To avoid an emergency visit to our office, here’s what not to eat with braces:
•Gum?
Chewing gum can pose a few problems when you have braces. First and foremost, gum is sticky, so it can attach to your rubber bands, wires, and metal bands, and pull them out of place. You may end up with poking wires and loose or broken brackets. Each time you chew or bite down on a piece of gum, you’re loosening your wires and nudging your brackets little-by-little.
If you chew gum habitually with traditional braces, it’s only a matter of time before you’re visiting us with a broken bracket or loose wire!
•Ice and Hard Candies?
As tasty as hard candies can be, it’s best to steer clear of them when you’re wearing braces. Hard candies, like Jolly Ranchers, Lemonheads, and Life Savers, are infamous for dislodging wires and popping brackets out of place.
When you bite down on ice, hard foods or candies, without braces, you’re already placing stress on your teeth. When you add brackets and wires to the mix, they’re incurring that stress too. Your braces can only handle so much, so don’t be too rough on them!
•Apples and Corn on the Cob?
Apples and corn on the cob sound like an odd mix of food. We’re not classifying these two foods in the same savory group; we’re classifying them in the same braces-damaging group.
Both apples and corn on the cob require considerable biting force. Think about when you bite into an apple and the surface of your teeth face the apple head-on. Now imagine you have brackets bonded to the surface of your teeth. When you bite down, your brackets are on the front-line.
If you don’t want to visit us for a loose-bracket emergency, we suggest you remove the core from your apples and slice them into wedges before chowing down. As for corn on the cob, consider slicing the corn kernels off the cob until your treatment is over.
•Sticky Foods/Candies?
Similar to how chewing gum is not a good idea with braces, chewing on sticky foods or candies can be equally damaging. Sticky substances can get caught on your wires and pull them loose, or stick to your brackets and separate them from your teeth.
Sticky foods and candies often lodge themselves in the nooks between the braces archwire and the teeth, in the corners and divots of brackets, and within the rubber bands of brackets. If these substances aren’t cleaned from your braces, they can cause bacteria buildup, which can lead to cavities, bad breath—and even gum disease!
•Sugary foods?
One of the benefits of braces: your diet will certainly improve! Sugary foods and candies should not be eaten in excess while you’re undergoing treatment with braces. There are too many crevices and corners for sugars to hide between your brackets and wires.
Sugar is already damaging to your teeth, but when you’re wearing braces, damage to the teeth can intensify. Bacteria love sugar, so the more you feed bacteria with sugar, the more these bacteria will thrive and multiply.
Proper oral hygiene is vital for ensuring beautiful teeth and optimal overall health, with or without braces! It’s important that you go the extra mile to remove all food particles and debris from your braces and from the space between your teeth to prevent bacteria build up, cavities, and tooth decay.
When you come to one of our offices in Wetumpka, Millbrook or Montgomery for your first visit, we’ll explain everything you need to know about caring for your braces. It’s our goal to ensure that you leave our office as informed as possible!
Whether you’re interested in traditional braces, same day braces, or Invisalign®, we have a treatment to suit your orthodontic condition and lifestyle preferences. We provide treatment for all ages: children, teens, and adults!
