One of the most frustrating things for our patients is not being able to eat their favorite foods while wearing braces. Yes, when you have ceramic or or from our Grand Rapids orthodontists, you always have to be careful with the wires and brackets on your teeth.
To help you make the best decisions (and keep your braces in good shape), here’s .
Eating During the First Week of Braces
The biggest thing you’ll notice after our team has finished applying your brackets, wires, and elastic bands, is that your mouth feels a bit sorer than it was when you arrived. This is totally normal! Your teeth, gums, and jaw will need a few days to get adjusted to the new components which will require some patience on your part.
Related Post → How to Care for Your Braces
During this time, our orthodontists recommend that you stick to the more forgiving foods that are going to be easier to break apart and eat. There are plenty to choose from while your mouth is still sensitive so don’t feel like you have to select one or two and only consume those.
Great choices following your first orthodontic appointment include:
- Scrambled eggs
- Soup
- Mashed potatoes
- Soft pasta (i.e., macaroni and cheese)
- Steamed or cooked vegetables (not raw)
- Oatmeal
- Soft cheeses
- Bananas or other fruit that isn’t hard or crunchy
- Yogurt
Because every patient has a different pain tolerance, it’s important to take it easy and eat foods at your own pace. You should start to feel the sensitivity and discomfort dissipate after that first week but if you don’t think you’re ready for certain foods outside of this group like cold ice cream, spicy foods, or chewier bread, give yourself some more time.
After you’ve moved past that initial period and your mouth has become accustomed to the newly applied braces, you can allow your diet to expand a bit. You can start to introduce meats such as shredded chicken or lunchmeat, fish, cut-up fruits, and other sweet treats depending on what you like. We urge you to remain careful as your orthodontic treatment goes on to avoid broken wires, loose brackets, or other problems.
Take note: Have Invisalign® clear aligners instead of metal or ceramic braces? These same food guidelines still apply for the first few days while you experience soreness. After that, you’re free to eat what you’d like as long as you first take out your clear aligners and clean them (plus your mouth) properly before popping them back in place!
Can I Enjoy ________ With Braces?
Pizza
Always try to aim for thin-crust pizza. Thick crust can be difficult to chew while wearing dental braces. If you have no control over what pizza is ordered, eat the pizza, but leave the thick crust behind.
French Fries
As long as they aren’t burnt to a blackened crisp, french fries should be safe for your braces.
Chips
Most chips are fine, but use your best judgement. For example, ripple potato chips tend to be harder to chew.
Bread
Do your best to stay away from or limit croutons, french bread, hard rolls, and other breads that are difficult to chew. Soft breads are fine.
Steak and Chicken
Since meat can be stringy, it’s easy to get little pieces stuck between teeth. We recommend cutting meat into bite-sized pieces. If possible, choose meats that are lean and tender.
Salad
Salads are just fine with dental braces. Just skip the croutons!
Chewing Gum
In general, it is best to avoid most types of gum while you have braces. However, if you absolutely have to have some, enjoy it in moderation and only select thin, sugarless gum. Sugary gum tends to be stickier and can get caught in your wires or brackets.
Chocolate or Other Candies
Chocolate and certain other candy is safe to eat with braces. Yet, you may want to limit how much chocolate and sticky sweets you eat during orthodontic treatment. Cavities and gum disease are caused by plaque, an invisible film of bacteria that loves sugar. When sugar is left behind, plaque uses it to produce cavity-causing acid.
Hopefully by now, you’ve recognized a pattern. You should avoid foods that are sticky and/or hard to chew during orthodontic treatment. The last thing you want is to pull off a bracket by accident because you thought you’d take your chances with a piece of taffy.
Ask Our Orthodontists About Invisalign
Since Invisalign is removable, you’ll be able to continue eating whatever you want during orthodontic treatment. Just make sure you brush your teeth after you eat so you don’t stain your clear aligners.
Keep in mind that not all our patients are . To be eligible, you must be a teenager or adult who has the willpower and commitment to wear aligners.
Otherwise, the temptation will be too great to remove your new pair of aligners when they hurt during the first few days. Teens and adults are usually motivated enough to work past the temporary discomfort to achieve the smiles they’ve always wanted.
Make an Appointment Today
Our orthodontists in Grand Rapids, MI, are ready to help you smile with confidence. Whether you choose traditional metal braces or Invisalign, you can trust our combined years of experience. To request an appointment, call Armbrecht & Wierenga Orthodontics at (616) 455-4800. We look forward to hearing from you!
This blog post has been updated.