Common sense will guide you in choosing most of the foods you need to avoid or alter while you’re in orthodontic treatment. Simply stay away from anything that may break, bend, pull loose, or stick to any parts of your braces. You should also take steps to protect your teeth against decay and your gums against periodontal disease by avoiding high sugar content foods and drinks. Always use common sense and caution when eating the following foods..
Hard foods may damage your braces by bending the wires, loosening the cement bonding material or breaking the brackets. Here are examples of the hard foods you should avoid or modify.
Sticky foods can bend wires, loosen cement, and even pull brackets off your teeth! Do not eat:
Just like sticky foods, gum can bend your braces or pull off brackets, so don’t chew bubblegum or regular gum of any kind. If you must chew gum, please use sugarless gum only – one stick at a time.
Whether you’re wearing braces or not, foods and beverages high in sugar content should be avoided. The bacteria that cause tooth decay, decalcification and gum disease live naturally in your mouth and use the sugars on your teeth to live. Sweets provide an extra food source for these bacteria to breed and produce the acids that damage your teeth and gums.
Most of the damage done by bacteria occurs within 30 minutes after eating, so brush your teeth immediately after each meal. Be especially careful to clean the area between orthodontic bands and gums.
