Mindful Eating During Dental Treatment: Foods to Avoid with Braces
Whether these are your first few days with braces or your appointment for braces is near, you should prepare for what's to come.
The most important thing to be careful about in the beginning is preventing food debris from affixing to your teeth and causing damage.
Leftover food particles can cause discolouration, decay, and periodontal disease.
To learn the kinds of edibles that are off-limit, scroll down to read our list of foods to avoid with braces.
What to Expect With Braces
Gum soreness: You should anticipate some soreness in your gums for a day or two following each adjustment. You can consume soft foods and take over-the-counter treatments throughout this period. Eventually, the pain will subside on its own. However, the soreness may worsen if you keep munching on the foods to avoid with braces.
Broken wire: Eating tough or crunchy meals is typically included in foods to avoid with braces because they break wires. Be careful not to eat these kinds of meals. To prevent the broken wire from poking the inside of your cheek, cover its end with orthodontic wax.
Loose metal bracket: Hard, chewy, and sticky foods are often the primary reason for this condition. Therefore, they qualify to be a part of foods to avoid with braces.
Again, to prevent a loose bracket from rubbing on your cheek, you can wrap orthodontic wax around it as a barrier.
Read More: 10 Surprising Foods That Can Damage Your Teeth
What Can't You Eat with Braces
There are some items you will have to give up for a couple of days after getting braces.
Below is the list of foods to avoid with braces:
1.Hard Candies and Chewing Gum
There's a big chance that the sticky foods that can break braces can crush your dream of a beautiful smile.
They made it to the list of foods to avoid with braces as they are difficult to remove since they get stuck in the wires and brackets easily.
As a result, maintaining your braces may become more challenging, which increases the risk of cavities and other dental problems.
Sticky meals have the potential to reduce these treatments' efficacy and lengthen their overall course.
2.Popcorn and Crunchy Vegetables
Crunchy meals may put a strain on the braces. Additionally, the husk of popcorn may get stuck between the wire and teeth.
If such particles slide into hard-to-clean areas, use a dental floss.
Enamel discolouration, staining, and bacterial development are possible aftermaths if you don't take such foods to avoid with braces seriously.
3.Nuts
Nuts are another category of foods to avoid with braces, as they can cause the wires in your braces to bend.
The process of getting straight teeth may take longer if the wires on your braces become bent.
4.Sodas and Sugary Drinks
We all know that restricting sugary snacks is essential to maintain good oral health.
Consuming carbs can cause bacteria and plaque to accumulate on your teeth. This accumulation is one of the main causes of tooth decay and other dental problems.
Foods to avoid with braces include everything high in sugar and acid, such as citric fruit juices, cold drinks, and energy drinks. Acidic foods can erode the enamel of your teeth and cause the braces to loosen.
5.Ice Cream
If you notice increased sensitivity in your teeth when you initially get braces, eating ice cream may cause discomfort to your teeth in the initial days.
There is no harm in waiting for a few days to satisfy your sugar cravings.
Additionally, one thing to watch out for while eating ice cream with braces is any additional components, such as candy pieces, nuts, or other substances that can be sticky or hard and endanger your braces.
6.Bread and Hard Rolls
Foods that necessitate vigorous chewing belong to foods to avoid with braces as well. They may put too much strain on the braces and cause them to break or come loose.
Bread, buns, pizza crusts, and sandwiches have hard crusts that take effort to chew. Still, if you want to eat such food, chop them off into smaller pieces.
FAQs
What happens if I don't pay attention to foods to avoid with braces?
It may damage the braces, and Your treatment period may lengthen.
What kind of foods are safe to eat with braces?
To name a few, you can safely consume rice, potatoes, veggies, and soft-cooked meats while wearing braces.
Are chips included in foods to avoid with braces?
If you want to eat hard chips like Cheetos and Takis, you should wait until the treatment ends. Thin and soft like Pringles are safe to eat, but overeating them may cause the bits to stick in the crevices of teeth.
In Conclusion
To infer, foods to avoid with braces include crunchy, sticky, sweet, acidic, and chewy items.
Besides that, regular dental checkups and maintaining oral hygiene help in the upkeep of braces.
To determine the best plan that will increase the chances of a successful treatment, contact us.