Life with Braces
Eating with Braces
Our goal is to provide you with a beautiful smile. This can only be accomplished if the braces and appliances stay attached to your teeth. Some types of food are capable of breaking your bands or brackets loose and bending your wires. All of these things prolong treatment time — adding up to a month longer in braces each time it happens.
Foods to Avoid
- Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
- Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
- Sticky foods: caramels, gum
- Hard foods: nuts, candy
- Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apples, carrots
- Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils, or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces will cause treatment to take longer.
Please notify our office immediately if appliances become loose or broken.
Care of Appliances
To successfully complete the treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands, headgear, or other appliances as prescribed. Damaged appliances lengthen the treatment time.
Brushing
It's more important than ever to brush and floss regularly when you have braces. This will ensure the teeth and gums are healthy after orthodontic treatment. We give care instructions on how to brush and floss with braces and monitor oral hygiene at each appointment. Patients who do not keep their teeth clean may require more frequent visits to the dentist for professional cleanings. Adults who have a history of gum disease should also see a periodontist during orthodontic treatment.