10 Foods To Avoid With Braces
Whether or not you like braces, they are likely to be very beneficial for you in the long term. They help to straighten your teeth and jaw, meaning you have a healthy bite and beautiful smile well into your adult life. They do need to be treated responsibly, though, and this includes avoiding certain types of food.
Food can easily get caught up in the retaining pads and wires of braces. This can potentially lead to damage to the braces meaning you need to get them refitted. Trapped food can also encourage plaque, promoting the decay of your teeth. Here’s a look at some of the foods that you should avoid eating when you are wearing braces.
Food To Avoid With Braces #1: Gum
Gum is sticky. That much does not need to be explained further. This stickiness makes it a potential nightmare where braces are concerned. Its softness also makes it easier for it to get in between the retainer pads and caught up in the wires. Removing it can be quite a task.
If you do still insist on chewing gum with braces, at least choose a low-sugar variety. This will help decrease the buildup of plaque should some get caught up in your braces. Also, if you do chew gum, please dispose of it properly. Other people do not deserve to have your gum stuck to their clothing.
Food To Avoid With Braces #2: Whole Fruits And Vegetables
Just to be clear, we are not suggesting that you should not eat fruit and vegetables. Of course you should, because they are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals. They also make for an excellent energy boost that can help keep you going when you are beginning to get tired.
What you really should do first, though, is to cut them into small pieces before eating. Biting into fruit and vegetables can easily dislodge your braces or get stuck. Cut fruit or vegetables into small pieces, though, and you can just begin chewing at the back of the mouth without having to affect your braces at all.
Food To Avoid With Braces #3: Popcorn
Fresh popcorn is delicious and great to enjoy when watching a movie or just as a snack. It can also be a lot healthier than you might think as it is low in fat and contains plenty of fiber. Of course, the toppings you choose to put on popcorn can change the nutritional statistics considerably.
If you are wearing braces, though, then you should probably keep clear. The problem is not so much the delicious fluffy part, although this can get caught in braces too. The main problem is the kernels that can get caught up and even cause damage. If you’re watching a movie, try grabbing another snack to enjoy instead.
Food To Avoid With Braces #4: Soda
Sodas can be very refreshing, especially on a hot summer’s day. They are also great to wash a pizza down with and are a popular addition to many lunches. As tasty and refreshing as they may be, though, medical professionals recommend that you should try to avoid them as much as you can.
Most sodas have a very high sugar content and are also very acidic. These factors can cause havoc with your teeth, especially if they are trapped close to the teeth by braces. Even natural fruit juices can also be harmful to teeth and should be avoided when you are wearing a brace.
Food To Avoid With Braces #5: Toffee
Isn’t toffee delicious? It comes in a wide range of flavors and is enjoyed by people of all ages. It can be very difficult to chew on but most of us wouldn’t have it any other way. Unfortunately, though, as with so many other foods we enjoy, toffee should be eaten in moderation only. It should be avoided altogether if you are wearing braces.
Toffee can easily get caught up in braces and getting it out can be very difficult. It also has a very high sugar content, so trapped toffee is going to be very bad for the health of your teeth.
Food To Avoid With Braces #6: Beef Jerky
The tough chewiness of beef jerky is partly why we enjoy it so much. Plus, of course, it is tasty and comes in a wide range of different varieties. It is also high in protein and does not cause a spike in blood sugar levels, making it an ideal choice of snack for diabetics.
The chewiness that helps make beef jerky so popular, though, also means it should be avoided by people that are wearing braces. It can easily get caught in the braces and it can be a real struggle to free trapped jerky. You could well end up having to go back to the dentist for another appointment to replace the braces.
Food To Avoid With Braces #7: Corn
The corn we know today is the result of extensive selective breeding and is actually a fruit, a grain and a vegetable. The natural sweetness of corn makes it popular as a snack while it is also found alongside other vegetables in 3-course meals. It is delicious when drenched in butter but can be served in a variety of ways.
If you do want some corn, though, then you should really take it off the cob first. Trying to bite it off the cob can easily dislodge your braces. You should also avoid using butter if you have braces because the butter can easily get behind the braces where it can be harmful to your teeth.
Food To Avoid With Braces #8: Ice Cubes
If you want an ice-cold drink then some ice cubes are just what you need. It can be just what you need to cool down with on a hot day and there are many different drinks that can be enjoyed with some ice. Many desserts can also be enjoyed with some ice and there’s nothing stopping you from experimenting.
There’s a problem, though. Ice may be just water, but it is very hard, and people have a habit if biting it. This can cause damage to teeth and can also cause braces to become dislodged. You should try to make sure ice does not damage your teeth if you do use it, and maybe leave it out altogether if you have braces.
Food To Avoid With Braces #9: Ribs
Tucking into a full rack of ribs is such a treat for meat lovers. The delicious, juicy meat just falls off the bone and it is a pleasure scraping what morsels of meaty delight you can find on the bone. If you are wearing braces, though, it is probably best that you remove the meat with a knife and fork first instead.
When biting into ribs, it can be very easy to scrape the bone against your braces, causing them to come loose. The same goes with other foods that have bones such as chicken wings and chicken drumsticks. There’s nothing stopping you from enjoying all of the delicious meat, you will just need to use a different method of taking it off the bone.
Food To Avoid With Braces #10: Nuts
Nuts are delicious and are available in a huge variety of different types. They are packed full of calories and healthy fats which makes them an ideal choice for a snack. They can be eaten just as they are, or they can be used in a wide range of recipes. If you are wearing braces, though, then you should consider eating something else instead.
Nuts are quite hard and this can cause problems for braces. Even ground nuts are not great for braces as the small parts can easily find themselves getting in behind the retaining pads. It is not worth a trip to the dentist to have your braces refitted, so you should just choose something else instead.
