How To Manage Your Diet After Getting Braces Put On

Regardless of your age, if you are getting braces, it is important that you maintain a proper diet to ensure that your orthodontist treatment is successful. Here is what you need to know when it comes to what you can and can't eat throughout the course of your treatment:

Foods You Can Eat During the First Several Days

When you first have your braces put on your teeth, you are going to be a bit sore. Your teeth will also be tender and sensitive. Therefore, you will want to stick to soft foods for several days until that discomfort and tenderness subsides. In addition, hard foods could cause the adhesive from the braces to dislodge, so eating soft foods will give the adhesive more time to cure. Some good soft foods to eat in the first few days at different meal times include the following:

• Breakfast – Yogurt, eggs and smoothies.
• Lunch – Carrot ribbons and fine-sliced apples.
• Dinner – Soups, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes.
• Dessert – Ice cream and milk shakes.

What Foods Should Be Restricted Until You Have Your Braced Removed

Overall, you don't have to change your diet too much when you have your braces put on. However, there are a few types of foods that you will need to avoid completely in order to avoid dislodging your wires, loosening your braces or otherwise damaging your braces. Here are a few of the off-limits foods:

• Peanut Brittle
• Ice Chips
• Beef Jerky
• Taffy
• Pretzels

Tips on How to Still Eat Some of Your Favorite Foods

The following advice will ensure that you can still enjoy eating your favorite foods, but you won't have to worry about them causing harm to your braces in any way:

• Corn – If you enjoy eating corn on the cob, you'll have to give it up. However, you can still eat corn, but it will need to be removed from the cob with a fork or a knife.
• Carrots – Carrots can be a bit tough on your braces, so you will want to roast or steam them. This will make them softer to eat and less likely to loosen or break a bracket.
• Hard Cookies – If you prefer hard cookies over chewy cookies, you will need to figure out a way to soften them up before you eat them to avoid any damage to your braces. A good way to do this is to dip them in a glass of milk before eating them.
• Nuts – It's easy for nuts to get caught in between your braces and wires, so you will want to try grinding them up before eating them. They make a great addition to yogurt.

For more information on what you can and can't eat while wearing braces, make sure to speak to your family orthodontist.