Foods to Avoid with Braces

With the modern technology, the installation and wearing of braces might have modernized but the precautionary measurements to prevent the braces components such as wires, rubber bands, and even the brackets from damage might not have changed. You still need to be careful in your eating habits and decide thoughtfully on what foods to avoid with braces. Off course you wouldn’t want to waste your investment in expensive braces just because of a bad bite that you could have easily avoided.

Generally, soft food is recommended for the people who wear braces to avoid any potential damage to the braces. However, there is a list of what foods to avoid with braces.

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Acidic Beverages

All acidic beverages such as soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and lemonade are particularly hard on teeth with braces and may result in permanent white spots that are visible after braces are removed. These spots are created due to the cavities produced by the bacteria trapped in between the braces and teeth.

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Sticky and Hard Candies

 Caramel, gummy and taffy candies and chocolates can coat your teeth with sugar and can literally pull out your braces while the hard candies can pop off the brackets and bend the wires. Sugar from these candies can invite the plaque to house under and around the braces where cleaning is difficult.

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Hard foods

Hard and crunchy food such as thin crust pizza, hard nuts, hard cookies, crackers, taco shells, hard rolls, burgers and thick pretzels may bend wires and pop-off the brackets. Some fruits and vegetables which require biting from front teeth can damage the braces these include apple, carrots, corn on the cob and other raw veggies. When possible, cut these vegetables or fruits into smaller pieces for consumption.

Ice cubes

Chewing on ice isn’t good for teeth without braces either, but it can cause particular problems for braces, possibly breaking off a bracket or moving a wire, so avoid it.

 

Maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet is important for oral and overall health but the caution to what foods to avoid with braces is equally essential. The healthier your body, the better are the results of your orthodontic treatment. A proper diet provides all the essential nutrients to bones and tissues undergoing significant change during braces treatment.