What can I eat while my braces are on?

Wearing orthodontic appliances, such as braces, is the best way to get a healthy, beautiful smile. Your orthodontic treatment at Clear Advantage Dental & Orthodontic Clinic will be tailored to your lifestyle, but you’ll still need to make some dietary modifications to prevent damaging your braces and thereby potentially prolonging the treatment time.

The first few days of having braces

The first few days are the most restrictive. Not only will your teeth be more sensitive in the first few days, the adhesive will still be curing. During this time stick only to soft foods. Some great soft foods include smoothies, bananas, and mashed potatoes.

Ongoing dietary restrictions

While your braces are on, there are some types of foods that are much more likely to damage orthodontic appliances or loosen them from your teeth. There are three main types of foods to avoid:
1) Chewy Foods. Examples include chewing gum, beef jerky, bagels, and sticky candies.
2) Hard Foods. Examples include ice, hard candy, nuts, and popcorn (because of kernels).
3) Crunchy Foods. Examples include apples, carrots, and chips.

Getting around the restrictions

You may have noticed that the restricted foods are restricted mainly because of their texture and hardness. You can continue to enjoy many restricted foods if you make modifications to the way they’re prepared. For example carrots could be steamed until soft, or apples could be turned into apple sauce.

Questions?

If you have any questions about whether a food is safe to eat during your Clear Advantage Orthodontic treatment, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Feel free to contact our offices in Waterloo Ontario, Vancouver British Columbia, or Cranbrook British Columbia to ask about the safety of a food.