A healthy diet means a healthy body, healthy teeth, and a better result for your orthodontia. Please do not eat hard foods: 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 risk breaking 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: taffy, caramels, bubble gum, sticky candy of any sort. A small piece of sugarless gum occasionally is acceptable. Use common sense about most foods. Your teeth can actually be moved in the wrong direction by damaged brackets or wires. This causes treatment delays.
You must think carefully about what you eat. Teeth move best when all the body systems are healthy. A balanced diet is important. Choose foods from all four food groups: Meats, Vegetables and Fruits, Cereals and Dairy Products.
Foods to avoid while wearing braces:
- Gummy Bears
- Chewing Cracked Ice
- Tacos
- Chewing Hard Bread Crust
- Corn Nuts
- Hard Pretzels
- Hard Pizza Crust
- Apples (unless peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
- Carrots (unless cut in strips)
- Popcorn
- Frozen Candy Bars
- Hard Nuts
- Hard or Sticky Candies
- Meat on the Bone
- Beef Jerky
- Celery
- Granola Bars
- Corn on the Cob
- Bubble Gum
- Tootsie Roll or Bit-O-Honey
- Crunchy Chips or Tortilla Chips
Foods that can damage teeth or gums. Sugar is dangerous and must be minimized. Avoid the obvious dessert foods, but do not forget the hidden sugars such as:
- Jelly
- Syrup
- Sugared Cereals
- Honey
- Breakfast Rolls
- Carob
- Catsup
- Dried Fruits
- Soda Pop