Foods – Hello braces, good-bye taffy. At least for now.
Frequent snacking can be your teeth's biggest enemy. Everyone has plaque bacteria in their mouth. When this bacteria meets up with sweet foods or beverages, the bacteria create acid in your mouth that remains for 20 minutes after you finish your last snack. The acid attacks your tooth enamel and makes it weak. That's when the cavities can start.
Part of life with braces is the challenge of eating foods that are right for you and easy on your braces. When your diet consists of part real food and part junk food--braces call for a change in eating habits. Don't despair. We haven't lost a patient to starvation yet.
Think if its right before you bite!
What to avoid:
All Gums including Freedent Taffy Toffee Licorice Gummy Bears Starbursts Jelly Beans Tootsie Rolls Raisins Snicker and Marathon Bars Sugar Daddies Slim Jims and Beef Jerky Lollipops and Suckers Hard Candy Hard Cookies Jawbreakers Nuts Caramels
Air Heads Now & Laters Fruit Roll Ups Fruit & Muesli Bars Peanut Brittle Crunchy Peanut Butter Popcorn Hard pretzels Doritos and Fritos Any hard chip snacks Taco shells Candied apples Bagels Dried Fruits Ice Popsicles Celery Stalks Lemon juice Biting into apples, peaches, raw carrots- cut into pieces Meat on the bone- cut off bone Corn on the cob- cut off cob Soft Drinks including diet sodas Pens, Pencils, Fingernails- not foods but in the mouth far too often
Use a blender. Most fruits can be enjoyed if liquefied such as bananas, mangoes and melons. Cut anything that looks too hard to handle into smaller pieces. High sugar foods should be the smallest part of your diet, as well as high acidic foods such as tomatoes, salsas, vinaigrette dressings, oranges and pineapples. Your tooth enamel is going through enough right now.
Green vegetables will cling to your braces as if by magic. And you'll probably be the last to know. If salad is your mainstay, check your smile in the mirror after meals or risk someone pointing out that piece of lettuce hanging from your braces.
Soon, it will be second nature to you to turn down dangerous foods. In our office, we keep a collection of delicious recipes discovered by our patients. As you invent new ways to enjoy old favorites, please share your culinary secrets with us. More on this website