Eating and drinking with braces

The general guideline is simple: you can pretty much eat and drink anything while wearing braces… but you should avoid anything sticky or gooey!

Sticky foods (often candy) can get stuck to your braces, potentially pulling the brackets off your teeth.

In reality, you can still eat and drink nearly everything, but we’ll advise you to avoid some things whenever possible…

 Some foods can damage your braces or cause a buildup of bacteria (i.e. cavities):

• Hard foods such as nuts, hard candies, popcorn, and raw carrots.
  
• Sticky products like gum, caramel, wine gums, etc.
  
• Hard bread, such as baguettes or the hard crust of pizza.
  
• Sugary foods and drinks such as sodas, energy drinks, and sweet snacks.
  
• Carbonated drinks that can erode enamel and increase the risk of cavities.

Also, be careful with dishes that contain spices which can stain your elastics or white brackets. Think of curry, turmeric, and paprika.

• Cut your food into small pieces to avoid damaging your braces.
• Avoid biting into hard foods (e.g., apples). Instead, cut these foods into smaller pieces first.
• Rinse your mouth with water after eating to remove food particles.
• Brush your teeth after every meal and use special toothbrushes (interdental brushes) to keep your braces clean. You’ll find these brushes in the maintenance kit (the green box) that you received when your braces were placed.