Eating with Braces
There are plenty of foods to enjoy while you're wearing braces. A few, though, can damage your appliances and stretch out your treatment. Nobody wants to spend longer in braces than they have to, so try to steer clear of the foods that can cause trouble.
Foods You CAN Enjoy with Braces:
Think soft, healthy, and easy to chew!
- Dairy — cheese, pudding, ice cream, scrambled eggs
- Breads — tortillas, pancakes, muffins
- Grains — pasta, soft cooked rice
- Meats/poultry — chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
- Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
- Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
- Fruits — bananas, chopped fruits like apples and peaches
- Treats — milkshakes, smoothies, cake, pie
Foods to Avoid with Braces:
- Sticky and chewy foods — bagels, licorice, gum, caramel, beef jerky
- Hard and crunchy foods — nuts, hard candies, ice
Foods to Use Caution With or Cut Up:
- Pizza crusts, carrots, subs, and the like
- Foods you bite into — corn on the cob, apples, chicken wings, ribs
