Foods to Eat with Traditional Braces

When Dr. Dipika Shah recommends braces, you most likely will have to modify some parts of your diet to protect them. As much as we love to see you at our dental practice, we don’t want you to delay your orthodontic treatment by eating the wrong foods that may loosen, break, or bend wires and bands. Although sturdy, stable and advanced, braces are orthodontic appliances that you need to treat with care. Below, we will explain what you should and should not eat while wearing braces.

You should never eat sticky foods, such as taffy, caramel, and chewing gum when you have braces. You should also avoid popcorn because the hulls can get stuck between your brackets and cause gum inflammation and infection. Avoid hard foods such as nuts and hard cookies. Foods such as apples and carrots should be chopped into small pieces before eating to reduce stress on your braces. Recommended foods while wearing braces generally include anything soft such as bananas, yogurt, light crackers, cheese, mashed potatoes, melons, grapes, and peanut butter and jelly, as well as noodle dishes like ravioli, spaghetti and macaroni and cheese.

If you have additional questions about orthodontic oral care, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.dentistnj.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Dipika Shah, DDS, here in our Holmdel, NJ office, call 732-264-8180.