When it comes to the ‘braces diet,’ aka the list of things you can and can’t eat while braces are on, we like to focus on the positives. While it’s true that you will miss out on a few things during your treatment with braces, the list of foods you can enjoy is so long that you will hardly miss a thing! Having braces is a great opportunity to get creative, try new foods, and get some practice cooking things you never have before. Who knows, maybe you’ll find some of your new favorites while wearing braces!
At Shine Orthodontics, Dr. McGrogan and her team are available and ready to support you on every step of your treatment, including what you eat! Follow along for this detailed guide on how to eat with braces, but if you have more specific questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. The best part about getting braces with us is having an entire team behind you, cheering you on!
What To Avoid During Treatment
Let’s just get the negative stuff over with, right? Because it is true–you will have to avoid some food while wearing braces. More than types of foods, think about textures–crunchy, hard, sticky, or chewy are all things you will need to avoid for the most part. Cutting up some foods into small pieces can help to make them easier to chew, and generally, you want to avoid biting or tearing with your front teeth and instead focus on grinding food with your molars.
This means opting out of caramel, taffy, and other sticky candy, crunchy fruits and veggies, ice, gum, bagels and pizza crusts, and chewy cuts of meat. You will also need to avoid chips, pretzels, nuts, and other crunchy snacks. Remember, this is only for a limited time, and soon you’ll be back to eating all your favorite things with some shiny, straight teeth to show for it!
First Getting Braces
The hardest part is always the beginning, right? I think most patients would agree that it is true about braces! Getting braces on for the first time will typically mean some soreness and sensitivity and will likely mean eating some soft and simple foods for a few days until they start feeling better. We recommend mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, soups, yogurt, and bananas. You can also take some aspirin and apply cold compresses to help speed up the adjustment process!
Keep in mind that your teeth might be sensitive to temperature as well as texture. Avoid super hot or cold things like ice cream, and you may also want to pass on spicy things and citrus that have acid compounds in them. These can aggravate your already sensitive teeth. You can enjoy those items in a few more days!
The Best Foods To Keep Your Smile Healthy
Now we are getting to the good part! There are so many healthy and delicious foods for you to enjoy during treatment, there’s no reason not to explore! Here are some of our top favorites: for dairy we recommend cottage cheese and other soft cheeses, ice cream, pudding, yogurt, milk, and so many more dairy products that are great for teeth health! For meats and proteins, focus on softer things like lunch meat, meatloaf, meatballs, shredded chicken, fish, and eggs. When it comes to fruits, veggies, and grains try to eat rice, beans, steamed veggies, applesauce, grapes, watermelon, and the like. And don’t forget things like casseroles, pb&j, grilled cheese, soups, and other non-crunchy snacks!
Cooking For Braces
As we have said time and time again, your main goal is to avoid the super chewy or crunchy stuff, and that stays true while you are cooking. Dr. McGrogan recommends removing meat from the bone and slicing up any chewy cuts so that it’s easy to bite and chew without pulling on your braces. Steam or saute veggies until they are tender, and cut up sandwiches and bread into smaller bites too.
Think About Your Drinks
We don’t want to skip the drinks! For the most part, what you drink won’t have a huge impact on your braces, but it can impact your teeth if you aren’t cautious! Sugary sodas, juices, and sports drinks coat your teeth in sugar, encouraging plaque growth. Because it’s more difficult to scrub all the nooks and crannies of your smile with braces, that means plaque can sometimes grow into tooth decay and cavities! You can prevent this by drinking sugary drinks in moderation and scrubbing your smile well morning and night, as well as using floss every day!
Don’t Forget the Sweets!
The same warning above goes for desserts! They are perfectly fine to eat in moderation, but you want to watch out for how they may end up impacting your teeth in the long run. During treatment, you can moderately enjoy soft baked goods like cookies, brownies, cakes, and pastries, as well as ice cream, chocolate, marshmallows, and more!
Are You Ready For Your Best Smile?
At Shine Orthodontics, we are ready to create the best and most beautiful smile with the help of braces or another treatment method. Get in touch with our Holly Springs office to learn more about the free consultation appointment and to get your questions answered before even coming in for a visit. We work with each patient individually to find the best approach to your healthy, straight smile, so we hope you get in touch so that we can get started!