Braces-Friendly Foods

IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK

So you have braces…now what? So many questions right? Well no worries, Advantage Orthodontics is here to help! Dr. Ford and the team at Advantage can answer any questions you have. Before you contact us, have a quick look at this page and the answer might be here already. If not, call us and we’ll get you taken care of! Let’s start with food first.

What to Eat

For the most part, you’ll be able to eat many of the same foods you’ve enjoyed before. The general rule is to avoid things that are hard, sticky, gummy, or chewy, to prevent breaking the bond that holds the brackets on the teeth. Once you have your braces on, there are couple of things you should know to help you along the way to your new smile. We’ll review them and answer any questions when your braces or aligners are placed, so below are the highlights.

Ongoing Food Recommendations

There are hundreds of foods that you CAN eat with braces and a few that you need to avoid to prevent damage to your Invisalign attachments, or brackets and wires. Attachment and bracket de-bonds and bent arch wires can result in more visits and delays in your treatment that could extend the time you wear braces. Below are some basic foods you can eat safely and also some things to avoid.

FOODS YOU CAN EAT SAFELY

Dairy — Soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks

Breads — Soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts

Grains — Pasta, soft cooked rice

Meats/poultry — Soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats

Seafood — Tuna, salmon, crab cakes

Vegetables — Mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans

Fruits — Applesauce, bananas, sliced fruit, most berries (but watch out for seeds)

Treats — Ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, cake

FOODS TO AVOID

Ice — At least not if you chew on it

Potato Chips — Be really careful with these

Caramel — Sticky goo which pulls off brackets

Beef Jerky — Tough as nails, avoid

Hard Candy/Suckers — It’s easy to forget and bite down

Nuts — No nuts of any kind

Popcorn — Hulls get caught between gums and bands

Raw carrots — Try to avoid raw carrots

Apples — You can eat them, just cut them up first. Sorry, no caramel apples

Corn on the cob — Can stay in your teeth for weeks

Ribs — They can knock off brackets easily