Achieving a more aesthetically appealing, functional smile is possible. Braces are a cost-friendly way to correct smile imperfections, including spacing issues, bite problems, and crookedness. However, once your orthodontist in Melbourne, FL, applies the adult braces, you’ll need to make some dietary changes to prevent damaging or developing decay beneath them.

Dietary Changes to Make

While you should avoid some foods, alternatives can allow you to receive all the nutrients you need and enjoy food without compromising the integrity of your braces.

Certain Snacks

Though you may enjoy curling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn to watch a flick, the kernels could lodge between your braces, and you’ll regret your snack decision.

Your next choice may be chips or pretzels, but these aren’t braces-friendly options either, as they’re hard and can damage the wires. Nuts are another food you’ll want to avoid while you have braces.

Some better options are soft pretzels, hulless popcorn, or rice cakes.

Hard or Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables

On the other side of the food spectrum, there are also some fruits and vegetables that aren’t great choices to eat with your braces on, such as:

• Whole apples, carrots, or celery (raw)
• Corn on the cob
• Pineapple
• Hard pears

To keep your teeth and body healthy, you can still eat all the fruits and vegetables mentioned above, but you’ll need to cut the corn off the cob or choose canned or frozen corn. Rather than hard pears, opt for ripe ones that are softer and won’t potentially harm your wires. For raw veggies and pineapple, you can cut them up into small pieces to enjoy them.

Hard or Chewy Breads and Dough Products

Now, on to the non-snack carbohydrates. It’s best to avoid pizza crust, bagels, hard rolls, baguettes, and any other dough-based item that can be hard or extremely chewy and will put pressure on your braces.

All breads aren’t off-limits, though. You can always eat pizza with a soft crust or the part with cheese, toppings, or breads, even toasted ones, that aren’t hard or dense.

Sticky Candy

Considering your braces’ metal brackets, this one isn’t a shocker, but it’s worth mentioning.

While your usual fair ritual might be to snag a caramel apple before you leave, caramel is a no-go during your treatment for obvious reasons. Any other extremely sticky candy is also on the list of foods to avoid, including:

• Taffy
• Nougat-filled chocolates
• Fudge
• Gum

You can safely get your chewy candy fix with softer options like jelly beans (avoid the hard ones), gummy bears, fruit leather, and Air Heads.

Chewing Ice

Although it’s not technically food like the others, biting ice will be a surefire way to break your braces. Besides damaging them, ice may loosen the brackets or cause them to detach completely. Chewing ice can also cause tooth and gum discomfort.

There aren’t any alternatives to get the crunch of ice, but you can still suck on a freeze pop or enjoy a Popsicle.

Tough Meats

We can’t forget to mention tough meats on this list. Softer ones are fine, especially to get all the protein you need, but tough ones like steak have fibers that can get stuck between braces.

Some examples of ones that won’t get wedged in your braces are as follows:

• Chicken
• Pork
• Fish
• Ground meat
• Lunch meat

A Few Helpful Tips

Avoiding some food is necessary until after our orthodontist in Melbourne, FL, removes your braces. However, practicing good oral hygiene because food can become trapped behind, around, and between your braces is another way to ensure your pearly whites remain healthy while you have this orthodontic appliance. For instance, always drink water after you eat to remove sugar and debris. Flossing is also an essential part of toothcare while you have braces.

Moreover, all these dietary changes are only temporary. That said, you’ll likely have braces for less than 10 months or up to three years, which ranges based on the complexity of your teeth problem(s). So, if the dietary changes aren’t feasible, consider Invisalign in Melbourne, FL, from our orthodontist. You can remove them and eat what you like.

Taking care of your teeth while you have adult braces includes making some dietary changes to keep your braces safe and teeth healthy.

Contact us today by calling 321-254-5232 to book an appointment for a consultation for braces or Invisalign. You can also send us a message.