Wearing braces comes with additional responsibility in terms of protecting your teeth and maintaining dental hygiene. It’s intuitive that there are some foods that may be more difficult to eat with braces, and it should also be recognized that there are a number of foods that should be avoided. Braces also need to be protected, and certain foods have the potential to cause damage.rnrnThe rule of thumb is to avoid foods that are either sticky, chewy, or hard. Sticking with softer foods will help protect your braces, and make it easier to keep a safe and comfortable level of dental hygiene. rnrnSticky and Chewy FoodsrnrnWith braces, dentists recommended that you avoid sticky and chewy foods, as they may get caught in the mechanics of the braces. Sticky or chewy foods include (but are not limited to): chewing gum, toffee, sticky chocolate, and cotton candy. Some meat can also be chewy. If you enjoy meat as a part of your diet, cut it up into small pieces before eating it. rnrnHard FoodsrnrnHard foods have the potential to harm your braces. You should generally avoid foods where you need to use your front teeth to bite into the food. Such foods include (but are not limited to): corn on the cob, apples, hard or crunchy bread, raw vegetables, nuts, hard chocolate, and ice. As you would with meat, make sure that you cut hard foods into small pieces before you eat them, and avoid using your front teeth to bite into any of these foods. rnrnWhat Foods are OK?rnrnLuckily, there are many foods that are neither hard, chewy, nor sticky. You can enjoy dairy products, pasta, and soft fruits including bananas, melons, and citrus. rnrnYour braces won’t be there forever, so you can look forward to eating everything again once they come off. You’re just taking a break for these foods.rn
