Are you a little overwhelmed thinking about all the adjustments from getting braces? You aren’t alone. Over the years, Dr. Sohn has seen many patients in her practice who are nervous or unsure if they are up for changing their life and habits, especially their eating habits. While it is definitely a big adjustment at first, we have walked many patients through these challenges and are here to support you when it’s your turn!
Let’s start by discussing the different food options you can enjoy while wearing braces, and the things you will need to avoid during treatment. This guide is just to get you started, there are so many things beyond this for you to enjoy! If you aren’t quite sure if a certain food fits the braces diet, then just give Sohn Orthodontics a call during business hours and we can share our tips with you directly!
Cooking For Braces
To get us started, let’s talk about how to cook when you or your child has braces. The best approach is to cook or cut up foods that are crunchy or chewy to help make them soft and manageable bites. Meat should always be off the bone, and the chewier cuts should be cut small enough to chew with just your molars. The same goes for bagels and other chewy breads. Steam, roast, or saute veggies until they are soft, and eat fruits cut into small bites or mashed like apple sauce!
If you follow this general advice, you will see it serve you well throughout your treatment!
What Foods To Avoid During Treatment
As we just described, your goal is to avoid certain food textures that may damage your braces when you bite or chew them. Anything hard, crunchy, chewy, or sticky should be avoided. Sadly, that includes chips, popcorn, nuts, ice, gum, caramel, hard candy, toffee, pizza crusts, and the like. We know, it’s a bit sad. But you will quickly find that there are tasty and softer substitutions for many of these things you crave, plus it’s only for a limited time. You’ll be back to enjoying all your favorite foods very soon!
How to Eat When Braces First Come On?
Before we dive in on all the foods you can prioritize and enjoy with your braces on, we need to talk about the first few days after braces come on or after an adjustment. Because the goal of braces is to slowly shift your smile, this means putting pressure on your teeth and sometimes making them quite sensitive and tender. Biting and chewing will probably be hard in this condition, so you will really want to focus on soft foods during this time.
A few of our quick recommendations are mashed potatoes, eggs, oatmeal, smoothies, pasta, bananas, and yogurt. Test and see what you are comfortable with, and know that this discomfort will be very short-lived. Talk to Dr. Sohn about taking some tylenol or motrin to help with the symptoms.
The Best Foods For a Healthy Smile
It might seem like we’ve spent so long listing all the things you can’t have, that you have forgotten all the things you can! There are tons of delicious, nutritious foods you can incorporate into your daily life. Here are a few of our top favorites, not in any particular order:
Meatloaf, fish, eggs, rice, beans, lunch meat, pb&j, grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, casseroles, watermelon, grapes, steamed vegetables, applesauce, cottage cheese, ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal, pasta, mashed potatoes, pancakes, and many, many more!
What About Sweets?
Don’t worry, desserts are not off the menu entirely while you have braces. We are happy to see our patients enjoy some soft sweets in moderation during their treatment, like baked goods, cookies, pastries, and cake, as well as ice cream, and chocolate. It would be ideal to brush after enjoying your treats. Be sure to eat sweets in moderation to promote overall health and avoid cavities from sugar getting stuck beneath brackets and wires.
Are There Limits on Drinks?
Much like with the desserts, it’s a good idea to keep moderate how many sugary drinks you drink. Beverages make it even easier for sugar to coat your teeth and encourage plaque growth. It will also be helpful to rinse with water after drinking these beverages. As long as you are being cautious and keeping up with your oral health habits, there’s no reason you shouldn’t your favorite drinks throughout your treatment!
Let Our Team Help You Thrive!
Straight teeth can’t happen by themselves, it takes your daily commitment and the expertise of our team to make it happen! We hope that people in and around Bridgeville will find all the support and care they need at Sohn Orthodontics. Give us a call today to hear about our free consultation appointment!