Orthodontist Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Ft Pierce, Vero Beach, Palm Bay
Hard And Soft Food To Eat With Braces
Foods that can’t be cleaned off the braces may lead to discoloration and decay of your teeth. Your braces are fragile and are usually damaged by eating the wrong foods and this may cause your treatment time to be extended. If you have any worries or second guesses about the validity of food to eat with braces, feel free to call us. Contact us immediately if anything feels broken or loose. Repairing broken braces requires time that a regular appointment may not account for and we want to make sure that we take care of your needs.
Soft Food To Eat With Braces
There are many soft foods that can be safely consumed while wearing braces. Here is a list of soft food to eat with braces:
- Bananas, grapefruit, kiwis, oranges, and similar varieties of fruit are allowed.
- Jams, jellies, apple sauce, and gelatin desserts
- Vegetables are an acceptable food to eat with braces, provided they are steamed to a soft texture
- Any sort of dairy product makes for fine food to eat with braces (hard cheese should still be avoided)
- When discussing meat, stick to softer fare including certain methods which poultry is prepared, meatballs, and sliced meat. Should you choose to eat ribs or chicken, carefully cut the meat off the bone.
- Seafood is a perfectly fine food to eat with braces. Be mindful of shellfish shells or bones when dining on whole fish
- Soft breads like biscuits, pancakes, soft tortillas, and soft pretzels
- Properly cooked pastas and soft-cooked rice
- Chowders, stews, and soup
- Softly cooked beans
- Oatmeal
Hard Food To Eat With Braces
- Only gum that is free of sugar should be chewed. It helps with any aches, pains and soreness in the mouth.
- While popcorn is technically a food to eat with braces, care should be taken so as not to bite down on the incredibly durable kernels that have either partially popped or not popped at all.
- If you’re craving chips, tacos, or similar crispy foods, or even raw vegetables, make sure to chop them into bite-sized servings. Beyond the additional step of preparation and while such items constitute food to eat with braces, chew them from the back of the mouth.
- Any sort of non-sticky sweet or soda is fine, but exercise regular dental procedure. Brush immediately after consumption, rinsing your mouth with water at the very least.
Bad Habits And Foods To Avoid Eating When Wearing Braces
Several dishes, ingredients and commonly chewed things can inhibit braces’ corrective nature, extending the time required to wear them. Here is a list of foods to avoid with braces as well as harmful bad habits:
- Stop yourself from gnawing your fingernails and writing tools. This can damage your braces.
- Avoid anything sticky, crunchy, or that requires excessive chewing. Examples include caramel, Jolly Ranchers, Skittles, taffy, etc. Soft peanut butter is an acceptable food to eat with braces.
- Avoid hard centers. When dining on ribs, buffalo wings, etc., remove the meat.
- Avoid “chomping” into food. Slice apples into chewable portions for your molars, slice the corn off of corn cobs, etc.