Food to Eat and to Avoid During Orthodontic Treatment
When you have braces, you’ll have to a few minor adjustments to your diet. During the first few days after you get your braces on, you will want to stick to eating soft foods that don’t require you to bite.
How can you stay healthy with a balanced diet while you have braces? First, it’s important to know which foods you should avoid while you have braces.
Foods To Avoid
Here are some of the foods to avoid while you have braces:
- Anything chewy or sticky, such as caramel
- Gum
- Beef jerky
- Raw carrots and celery
- Apples
- Corn on the cob
- Chips
- Popcorn
- Nuts
- Pretzels
In general, you should avoid any foods that may stick to your braces. You still have options when it comes to healthier food options, so keep an open mind to exploring some new, healthy, and braces-friendly foods!
Changing How You Eat
Apart from looking for viable options, having braces is also a great time to improve your diet and how you eat. For example, you won’t be able to eat apples by biting into a whole apple. However, you can slice them into small pieces, which won’t be as tough to chew.
For carrots, you can steam or roast them so they won’t be as tough but will still have the vitamins and minerals that are great for your body. You can still enjoy corn, just not on the cob. If you want cookies or hard bread, you can dip them in warm milk or soften them, which will make them easier to bite into.