You already have a list of foods to avoid with braces. Unfortunately, there are some additional foods to avoid with braces this holiday season. Don’t worry — you can still have pumpkin pie and most of the cookies. Just steer clear of that ominous pecan pie and the candy canes.
The Standard List of Foods to Avoid
Your diet is somewhat restricted with braces, but you won’t starve. The standard list of foods to avoid includes:
Chewy Foods
These include bagels, crusty rolls, licorice, taffy, gumdrops, and similar foods. Any foods that may stick to your appliances or foods that force you to apply added pressure to chewing. You should not be using your teeth to pull or tug on any food either.
Crunchy Foods
This is the part of the list most people dislike. It includes popcorn, potato chips, and chewing on ice. Popcorn is obvious — the kernels can get caught in the brackets and wires or stuck below your gumline. Potato chips and other types of crunchy snacks tend to shatter when you bite them. The little bits can also get stuck in your appliance or cause tiny cuts and abrasions in your mouth.
Sticky Foods
Anything that can stick to your appliances or your teeth can cause problems. Caramels and chewing gum may be awesome treats, but while chewing on them, the sugary candy may stick to your braces. The effort may also cause your teeth to shift slightly which could delay your treatment.
Hard Foods
Hard candies and nuts can cause your brackets to dislodge or break your archwire. If you can suck on hard candies and dissolve them rather than biting down on them, you can occasionally indulge. Otherwise, you should avoid nuts and hard candies.
Foods That You Bite Into
This category includes corn on the cob and eating a whole apple. It can also include sub sandwiches on crusty rolls, pizza, and other foods that require pulling or tugging with your teeth. You don’t always have to avoid these foods — you just have to eat them differently.
Cut the corn off the cob. Peel and dice your apple into bite-sized pieces. Cut your pizza into bite-sized pieces. The trick is to avoid pulling and tugging. With bite-sized pieces, you can use your molars to chew these types of foods. Although there is still a slight risk and you’ll have to chew carefully to avoid damaging your braces, changing how you eat the foods in this category allows you to continue eating them.
Focus on the Types of Foods
Rather than trying to memorize a list of specific foods, we ask that you just get used to thinking about what you are eating. Because the biggest reason for avoiding certain types of food is to protect your braces from damage, consider whether or not something might cause damage.
Keeping a simple question in mind will help. Ask yourself, “Will this damage my braces?” If the answer is yes, that food should be avoided. If the answer is no, then you can eat it. On the other hand, if the answer is maybe, consider what you can do to make it safer to eat with your braces.
As we discussed in the previous section, how you eat foods can make a difference. Chomping into a whole apple can possibly cause your brackets to loosen or pop off and may break the archwire. The peels can get stuck in the wires and be difficult to remove. However, peeling and dicing the apple into half-inch pieces allows you to eat it in a safe manner, using your molars rather than biting into the fruit.
Foods to Avoid with Braces This Holiday Season
Many families keep a bowl of nuts out during the holidays. The nutcracker was always handy and these were a great snack between meals that parents seldom complained about. Unfortunately, nuts can dislodge your brackets or break the archwire on your braces.
Unfortunately, avoiding nuts means avoiding that delicious pecan pie and any of Aunt Susie’s cookies that have nuts in them.
Likewise with hard candy. Maybe Grandma always has a bowl of rock-hard ribbon candy or peppermint drops out throughout the year, or maybe just during the holiday season. Either way, you should avoid the temptation.
Foods You CAN Eat This Holiday Season
You can still eat all the same foods that you have been eating. Adding to that list are the holiday-specific treats. You can eat ALL the pumpkin pie, but sharing is still nice.
The key to staying safe during the holidays means being conscious of what you are eating. As long as you remember to ask if something will be harmful to your braces, you can enjoy a wonderful holiday season filled with sweet treats and festive times!
General Oral Care for Your Braces
Remember to carry your portable care kit when you visit friends and relatives. You will undoubtedly be eating more sweets which means you will want to step up your game on oral hygiene. Remember to brush and floss regularly throughout the season. Whether you are at a family gathering or watching a bowl game with your friends, oral care is an important part of keeping your treatment on schedule.
What to Do If You a Have a Braces Emergency
The first step if you do have a braces emergency is to call Lasley Orthodontics. Your teeth may feel a little loose with braces. This is a normal part of the treatment as your teeth shift into new positions. It is also why you need to avoid those hard candies and cookies with nuts.
If you have a loose wire, band, or bracket, you can secure it with a pea-sized piece of dental wax. This will keep it from being damaged further until you can get to the office for repair. If a part of the appliance becomes completely removed, save it and bring it with you to the office.
For broken wires that may be poking the inside of your mouth, you can bend them away from your soft tissue with the back of a spoon or the eraser on a new pencil. Make sure to add a dab of dental wax to stabilize the wire and keep it from cutting your mouth.
Taking care of your braces is a part of the process. If you wear headgear at night and spend the night at a friend’s house during your school break, please take your gear. It may seem embarrassing, but it will keep your treatment schedule on track.
Contact Lasley Orthodontics if You Have Questions
If you still have questions about what foods to avoid with braces this holiday season, contact Lasley Orthodontics. Our staff will be on hand to help. If you don’t need an immediate answer, you can use the online contact form. To speak with staff, please don’t hesitate to call us at (425) 496-7030.
Have a Happy Holiday Season!!