So you have decided to get braces to enhance your smile? Congrats. In a recent post, we talked about how to take care of your braces. But there are a few things you should know about eating with braces as well.
In this post, we shall be looking at the kind of food you should be consuming after braces and the kind of food you should avoid to help you see the results you desire.
So here are the foods you can eat while having braces:
Generally, you should go for foods that are not too hard. This will go to ensure that your teeth do not do a lot of chewing which may bend the braces. So let’s start with vegetables. Yes eat a lot of vegetables but try to steam so as to soften them. Also, feel free to eat soft fruits like tangerines, grapefruits, and kiwi. You can eat soft meat like turkey, tender chicken, meatloaf, or go for seafood and eggs in place of tough-to-chew meats.
For bread, pancakes, muffins, soft biscuits, and tortillas are not too hard and will not hurt your teeth. Cheese and yogurt will be fine if you like consuming dairy products. And smoothies, applesauce, ice cream, and pudding make excellent desserts. And feel free to consume well-cooked grains like pasta and rice.
As you can see, braces don’t stop you from enjoying most of the foods that you like. You can create a healthy meal plan from the list of foods that we have outlined. And there are many more that we have not mentioned. The most important thing is to ensure that the food you are consuming isn’t too hard to avoid stressing your teeth.
Foods to avoid after braces
While you can still enjoy most of your favorite foods, there are others that you should stay away from while wearing braces.
First of all, avoid hard foods. This kind of food stresses your teeth and can chip in and damage your braces. They can also get stuck in your brackets, bending the wires and harming your teeth in the process.
Moreso, chewy foods are difficult to get off the teeth, especially teeth with braces. This means you will spend more time cleaning your teeth and may not get the best result at the end.
Typical foods to avoid include nuts and hard pretzels, chewy caramel, popcorn, hard lollipops, and candy. Also, avoid eating hard, chewy vegetables and fruits like carrots, and apples. If you love chips, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, it may not be the time to indulge in them. If you must, exercise caution.
Apart from being picky about the kind of food that you consume, you should endeavor to maintain a healthy dental regimen – brush and floss regularly, drink a lot of water and use a soft-bristled toothbrush.
For more information about braces and cosmetic dentistry, visit our office or contact us.
