Foods You'll Wanna Avoid Whilst Wearing Braces

by Richard Buckley
(Manchester, England)

When you’re wearing braces, certain things become slightly more difficult. Eating is one of these things, although once you get used to wearing braces, you won’t even think twice about eating in public and enjoying your favourite foods. Some foods are easy to manage with braces, but some can pose a few problems.

Here are some foods you may wish to avoid while you’re wearing braces:

Chewy sweets

Many of us enjoy tucking into a bag of sweets, but chewy candy bars and jelly sweets can be difficult to eat with braces. They require a lot of chewing and breaking down and they can easily get stuck to the brackets and wires, which makes cleaning more difficult.

Sweets are also laden with sugar, which is a major risk factor for decay. As it is more difficult to clean the teeth with braces in place, it’s best to avoid sugary foods if you can, as the risk of decay is heightened.

You may also find that eating sugary foods causes staining, so that you have noticeable patches on your teeth when the braces are removed.

Hard foods

Foods that you have to bite into, such as humbugs, apples and boiled sweets can be troublesome for braces because they can cause damage to the fragile wires. If you are eating an apple, it’s usually best to cut it up into segments and then eat it, rather than simply biting into it.

Foods with sharp edges, such as tortilla chips and tacos, can also be bad news, as they can get trapped in the brackets and they can also catch the gums, which may cause bleeding.

Popcorn

Popcorn is everyone’s favourite cinema snack, but if you’ve got braces, it can quickly become your worst enemy. The shells can become trapped in the brace and the hard kernels can cause damage to the braces. If you are eating popcorn take extra care and ensure you clean your teeth thoroughly afterwards.

Nuts

Nuts are hard, but they also tend to get stuck very easily once you have chewed them up and broken them down. The pieces can get stuck in the crevasses in your teeth or in the brackets and bands when you have a brace.

Clear aligners, such as Invisalign Teen, can be removed before you eat, making it easier to prevent staining.

Crisps and chips

Starchy foods feed the bacteria in your mouth, which releases plaque acids. Plaque acids attack the protective enamel and increase the risk of decay and gum disease.

Eating crisps when you have braces, is worse than normal because the crisps can become lodged in the tooth surfaces, as well as the brackets, and it can be difficult to keep the braces clean. If food debris is left in the mouth, there is a risk that plaque will form. This is the main cause of decay and gum disease.