Orthodontics Airdrie
Eating with Braces: Do’s and Dont’s

We’re dedicated to providing our patients in Airdrie Alberta with more than just braces: we’ll guide you for the entire duration of the treatment, adjusting your braces and helping to clean your teeth, and even follow up once your treatment is complete to ensure that the results last a lifetime.

When it comes to living with braces, it is important that you watch what you eat to avoid damaging the appliance, which could lead to a lot of pain and injuries in your mouth. Here are a few tips to help you when choosing foods:

What to eat with braces

The following are some foods that we consider soft and easy enough to eat with braces:

• Dairy products – soft cheese, milk-based drinks, pudding
• Grains – pasta, soft cooked rice, etc.
• Breads – muffins without nuts, pancakes, tortillas (soft ones)
• Seafood – tuna, crab cakes, and salmon
• Meats and poultry – soft cooked chicken, meatballs
• Vegetables – mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
• Fruits – bananas, applesauce, fruit juices, pudding, canned fruit
• Soups
• Eggs – scrambled, omelet, quiche
• Treats – ice cream, milkshakes, etc.

What not to eat with braces

Here are the main categories of foods you should not eat with braces:

• Hard foods – ice, pizza crust, hard candy, jerky nuts
• Crunchy foods – popcorn, carrots, apples, corn or potato chips, corn on the cob
• Sticky foods – soda, gum, gummy bears, chewy candy, licorice, caramel
• Chewy foods – hard rolls, licorice, bagels

Here are some other important tips to make your life with braces as smooth as possible:

• An important part of successful orthodontic treatment is following the instructions given by your orthodontist, including what to eat and not to eat to avoid damaging your appliances. Damaged braces will not only mean additional trips to the dentist, but also increased risk for gum disease and cavities. Broken wires could also cause discomfort and pierce the soft tissues, causing a lot of pain.
• When participating in contact sports, please ask for a mouth guard that is specially made for braces to avoid damaging the appliance. Other mouth guards that are not tailored for wearing with braces can cause damage or keep your teeth from shifting as they should.
• Brush your teeth after every meal, and use the special floss string to clean between your teeth and braces at least once a day
• Visit your general dentist for professional cleaning every six months
• Call the office for assistance if you damage your braces or orthodontic appliances

Please remember that orthodontic treatments take months, or even years, to complete. You don’t want to damage your braces as this will cause your treatment to be unnecessarily longer. Please contact our dental professionals at Bayside Dental & Orthodontics if you have any concerns about your braces.