FOOD GUIDELINES FOR THE   ORTHODONTIC PATIENT

It is important to follow the food guidelines because brackets can break off or the appliance may become distorted and cause discomfort if the patient is careless with their choice of foods. Eating certain foods can loosen or break your braces and you may not discover the problem until hours or days later. These loose bands, broken wires, and detached brackets can increase treatment time and number of visits.

There is really not a lot you can’t eat but you must think before putting any food in your mouth:

“Is this too hard for my braces?”

When choosing foods to snack on avoid things that are hard and crunchy or sticky and chewy.

Some examples of foods to avoid while in braces:

• Nuts

• Ice

• Corn Nuts

• Skittles/Starburst/Jaw Breakers

• Hard Toffees

• Pizza Crust

• Hard pretzels

• Hard rolls/Bagels

• Beef Jerky

• Suckers/Hard Candies

• Popcorn (partially-popped pieces are especially bad)

• Raw Carrots (cut up is okay)

• Hard Vegetables

• Apples (cut up is okay)

• Caramel

• Chewing on pens or pencils

• No pulling off mittens or tearing things with your teeth.

Helpful Hints:

• Slice apples and fruits with pits

• Cut meat off the bone/cut corn off the cob

• Melt/soften crunchy snack foods in your mouth

• Chew only the fluffy white popcorn and avoid the kernels

• Always brush, or at a minimum rinse with water, after having any sugary treat

Sore Teeth:

As you may already know, braces, new aligners or other appliances are likely to cause some tender teeth for a day or two. The movement caused by an adjustment appointment can make certain teeth sore. Some thoughtful food preparation will help. Sticking to a softer diet, putting foods together in a blender or cutting them up into smaller pieces are good ways to make this time easier.