What Not to Eat with Braces

Now that you have Glendale braces you’ll have to choose your foods a little more carefully. The goals are to keep your tooth enamel healthy and unstained, prevent cavities, and not break any wires or brackets. Some of the biggest problems are caused by such foods as:

Hard Foods

Hard candy, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, popcorn and hard chips can all damage braces. Especially avoid biting into things with your front teeth, such as an apple, or corn on the cob. Many fruits and vegetables can be safely eaten when cut into small pieces. Corn can be cut from the cob. It’s even best to cut things like sandwiches, tacos, etc. up and eat them with a fork and knife or learn to bite into them with your side teeth. It can be safer if you run into something unexpected inside, like hard to chew meat, and can also prevent you from talking to your friends with your braces filled with goop! Hard candy can be permissible if you can remember to let it melt in your mouth and not bite into it, although letting something sugary melt in your mouth is not good for your teeth either, but at least it will avoid broken brackets and wires.

Sugary Foods

Sugary foods promote the growth of bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria create acids that can erode tooth enamel, promote tooth decay, and leave permanent stains on your teeth. Braces make cleaning your teeth more difficult than usual, so if possible avoid sugary foods, and when you do eat them clean your teeth thoroughly afterwards. Acidic foods such as citrus fruits and drinks and soda pop are also very damaging to tooth enamel and can leave behind permanent stains.

Sticky Foods

Sticky foods like caramel, taffy, jelly beans and gummy candies can also damage braces by bending wires or appliances, and pulling off brackets. Chewing gum should also be avoided since it is sure get stuck in brackets and orthodontic appliances.

Like anything else worth having, it’s important to take good care of your Peoria braces. This is your future smile we’re talking about. When you break a wire, or pop off a bracket you have to make an appointment, then go in and get it repaired. Often repairing these things can take longer than a regular adjustment. Meanwhile, from the time your braces are damaged your teeth stop moving, which means you will need to wear your braces longer to compensate for that time. Occasionally a broken appliance can even allow teeth to move in the wrong direction adding even more time to your orthodontic treatment.

While forgoing these foods can seem like a nuisance at the time, making prudent food choices will help you get your braces off on time, and help assure that your teeth will not be stained or damaged when the big day comes. When you see that great new smile it will all be worth it!

At Aesthetic Dentistry of Arrowhead, Dr. Greg Ceyhan is a highly experienced dentist who has been consistently involved in continuing education throughout his career in order to provide his patients with the most up to date treatments. An orthodontic consultation is free, so if you are interested in straighter teeth and a healthier bite with North Phoenix braces, call Aesthetic Dentistry of Arrowhead to schedule an appointment.