You have now had braces fitted and there are certain foods that need to be avoided to ensure the best results are achieved in the least amount of time. Not only can certain hard foods be uncomfortable to eat with braces, but you are also at risk of bracket or wire breakages which will require unprepared trips to see us and can increase your treatment time. The main culprits in this category are the very crunchy granola, nuts, extremely crusty breads, popcorn and whole fruits and vegetables, like apples, carrots and stone fruits. We encourage you to continue to eat all fresh produce but to cut them up before consuming.
Another issue is snacking or frequent intake of high sugar content foods that can get stuck in between your braces which allows plaque and bacteria to grow and damage your enamel permanently. Be particularly careful of very sticky lollies (example- sugary chewing gums, red skins, minties, fantails, gummies, toffee etc) and sugary drinks (examples- slurpies, sports drinks, coke, soft drinks, fruit juice, flavoured milk etc).
The best foods to eat are those that do not require excessive chewing/crunching and are not high in sugar content. In terms of beverages, we recommend swapping a glass of sport or fizzy drink for a glass of water or milk and limiting juices to meal times only!
To summarise, avoid all foods that are sticky, hard and chewy and enjoy lots of soft foods and fruit/ vegetables which are cut into pieces.
Remember also not to chew pens, pencils and ice cubes and not to ‘play’ with your braces.