Which Foods and Drinks Can You Consume with Braces?

Traditional dental braces in Oshawa are built from metal brackets and wires while newer braces are made of a ceramic material. When you have braces, certain foods and beverages should be avoided because they can cause damage to your braces. Certain foods could cause the brackets of your braces to become dislodged or the wires to become bent. Don’t let this discourage you, because as long as you are careful you can still enjoy just about all of your favorite foods.

General Guidelines

When you first get braces or have gotten your braces adjusted, you will want to stick to eating soft food. Although you can eat the food you normally would you might be feeling soreness and sensitivity in your jaw for the first few days. Soft foods that are recommended to eat include soup, smoothies, applesauce, scrambled eggs, yogurt, and milkshakes. Your Oshawa dentist suggests that you cut down on the consumption of foods such as bread, pasta, cookies, and cake. These foods are high in starch and sugar and they can easily get trapped in your braces, which could lead to tooth decay. Enjoying these foods once in a while can be a nice treat, but you shouldn't be consuming them regularly.

Preparing your Food

When preparing your food, it’s recommended to cut your food into small pieces that are easier to chew. Cutting your food into small bite-sized pieces and chewing with your back teeth is something that you will need to learn to do when you’re eating while you have braces.

Chewing Style

Altering how you chew your food will help you avoid snapping a bracket while eating. When chewing food be sure that you’re using your back teeth and that you never bite into food to make the pieces smaller with your front teeth.

What to Avoid

After getting braces in Oshawa, you will need to avoid eating foods that increase your chances of developing cavities. These foods not only increase your chance of cavities but can also cause damage to your braces. Sticky foods should be avoided because they can easily get caught in the wires of your braces. These sticky foods include; gum, caramel, and taffy. Food that is hard such as popcorn should be avoided as the hulls could get stuck in your brackets causing your gums to become inflamed and infected. It is also best to avoid nuts, pizza crust, chips, pretzels, and chewy candy. Beverages that contain a lot of sugar should be avoided as they could end up between your teeth and the wires of your braces, which can cause extensive tooth decay. The sugar from these foods and drinks mix with your saliva creating the plaque that covers your teeth, which can be a bit trickier to remove when you have braces.

Warning

If you eat any of the foods listed above that should be avoided after receiving dental braces in Oshawa, you could end up damaging the brackets and wires of your braces. Damage to your wire or bracket, will require you to visit a dental office in Oshawa as soon as possible to repair the damage. If you don’t visit a dental office near you right away, you may end up extending your treatment time. If you run into any difficulties with your orthodontic device, just remember your dentist is the first person you should call. They will provide you with efficient and effective treatment. To learn more about braces and all that they entail, contact your dental clinic today!