If you wear braces or other appliances, you need to give your teeth a break from heavy chewing. Jaw movement and food chewing can loosen braces. Following is a listing of foods you should eat – or avoid – while wearing braces or other appliances.
Dingus Orthodontics is dedicated to providing you with an orthodontic experience that exceeds your expectations. If you have any specific dietary concerns, or other questions, please be sure to ask us about them.
Foods to Avoid
In general, while wearing braces or other appliances, be careful to avoid hard, sticky, chewy and crunchy foods.
The following hard foods can bend wires, or break brackets and tubes:
- Candied apples
- Hard candy
- Hard chips
- Hard rolls
- Ice (Never chew ice. It’s much too hard on your teeth, even without braces.)
- Nuts
- Peanut brittle
- Popcorn
The following sticky foods can pull the cement loose on the bands, and bend wires and springs:
- Fruit Roll-ups
- Gum
- Gummy Bears
- Milk Duds
- Starbursts
- Taffy & caramels
To prevent cavities, also avoid candy, soft drinks and items containing sugar. And to avoid broken or loose braces, don’t bite your fingernails, chew on pencils or pens or open or pry things with your teeth.