What Foods Should I Avoid with Braces?

A bright, confident smile can do wonders for your self-esteem. Braces (or one of Bluff Creek Dental’s other orthodontic treatments like Invisalign) can help you achieve that beautiful smile, but to get the best results in as fast a timeframe as possible, it is important that you take care of your orthodontic treatment along the way. Part of that means avoiding certain foods that could be harmful to your orthodontic appliances.

Hard, Sticky, & Sugary

There are different types of foods that can negatively impact your braces, including sticky foods, hard foods, and sugary foods. Hard foods can potentially break your braces’ brackets and wires while sticky foods can get caught in between them. Additionally, because it is more difficult to clean your mouth and maintain proper oral hygiene while wearing braces, sugary foods should be avoided. If sugary particles are missed during your brushing and flossing routine then you could develop tooth decay and other health problems.

Common Sense

In most situations, common sense will help you determine what foods could potentially be bad for your braces. That being said, our Bluff Creek Dental team has compiled a list of foods you should avoid if you want to maintain the health of your teeth, progress of your orthodontic treatment, and well-being of your braces.

The List

Avoid Sticky Foods Such As:

• Gum (sugar-free or regular)
• Licorice
• Sugar Daddies
• Toffee
• Tootsie Rolls
• Caramels
• Starbursts

Say “No” to These Hard Foods:

• Ice
• Nuts
• Hard taco shells
• French bread crust/rolls (unless broken into smaller pieces)
• Corn on the cob
• Apples & carrots (unless cut into smaller pieces)
• Bagels
• Chips & popcorn
• Jolly Ranchers or other hard candies

Abstain From Sugary Foods Like:

• Cake
• Ice cream
• Cookies
• Pie
• Candy

Only Once a Day:

• Soda
• Sweetened tea
• Gatorade
• Kool-Aid
• Drinks with sugar

Visit Bluff Creek Dental Today

Patients of Bluff Creek Dentist trust our doctors with the development and care of their smiles. To make an appointment in our Chanhassen office, contact us today. We look forward to helping you smile brighter!