Eating With Braces

McClellan Orthodontics

Teeth move best in a healthy environment and in individuals who maintain excellent overall health. Make sure you choose a well-balanced diet.

Braces are attached to your teeth with a special orthodontic glue or cement that will withstand the normal forces of eating. However, brackets can be dislodged, and wires can be bent or broken after eating certain foods.

Foods and drinks that may cause cavities should be restricted while you’re wearing braces. Sticky foods are to be avoided because of the increased risk of dental decay and appliance breakage. Sticky foods can get wrapped around your brackets and cause them to break or come loose.

Also, minimize sugary foods as they cause tooth decay and related problems. High-sugar and high-acidity drinks, when mixed with saliva, create a sticky film that coats the teeth and is difficult to remove completely, even with brushing. Please make sure that careful brushing and rinsing take place immediately afterward.

Some foods are fine to enjoy, if they are cut into smaller pieces which won’t damage your braces. Between-meal snacks should be confined to foods that lack refined sugar and should be followed by brushing or vigorous rinsing.

Please do not eat hard foods, including nuts, ice, crisp taco shells, whole apples, and carrots (cut them into pieces first), hard French bread crust and rolls, spareribs, corn on the cob (cut the corn off the cob before eating) and popcorn! These foods can cause breakage of the brackets and wires. Also beware of nail-biting and pen- or pencil-chewing habits since these can damage your braces. Do not eat sticky foods like taffy, caramels, bubble gum or sticky candy of any sort. Use common sense about most foods. Excessive breakage due to careless eating habits may result in additional charges for repair.

Check your braces regularly to make sure that nothing is bent, broken, or loose. In the event of a loose/broken wire or bracket, please call the office immediately to arrange an appointment for repair.

For most situations, common sense will tell you the specific foods to avoid. If you are unsure, please ask one of our friendly and knowledgeable team members to make sure that the food in question is safe to eat.