Braces Friendly Foods
When patients get braces there is a lot of talk about what foods they can’t have. Let’s talk about the things you can still have!
The truth of the matter is that you can still eat most foods. The items that can break or damage braces and wires tend to be foods that are extremely hard (hard candies, lollipops, pretzel rods, whole nuts) or extremely sticky (Caramel, gum, gummy bears, taffy). In the sweets category, you can still enjoy things like chocolate, Kit Kats, Reese’s peanut butter cups, plain M&Ms, cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies. If eating sweets though, always remember to brush and floss well to avoid cavities!
Good news: just about any healthy food is still on the table with braces! Fruits and vegetables are still fine to eat. Cooked veggies are soft enough to eat with braces. Raw fruits or vegetables can also be consumed- you just need to chop them into bite sized pieces first. This tends to disappoint a lot of my younger patients who hope for an excuse not to eat their vegetables!
In your first week with braces, we do recommend eating softer foods for your comfort. These would be items like soups, smoothies, mac n cheese, pasta, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, yogurt, bananas, pancakes, soft bread. Once you are comfortable with your braces you’ll discover that your braces don’t impact your meals nearly as much as you thought!
Bon Appetite!
