Tops Foods to Avoid When You Have Braces

Braces are a lot more common than you may have realized. Approximately four million people in the United States are currently wearing braces to correct the alignment of their teeth, according to Forest & Ray. With that in mind, it’s essential to know what kind of foods to avoid when wearing braces. You don’t want to do damage to the very thing that’s designed to keep your mouth protected.

Chewy Foods

One of the types of foods that can interfere with braces is chewy foods. Those foods may get stuck in the wiring of the braces and make them inoperable. You obviously want to avoid that, and this means you should beware of chewy foods such as bagels and licorice. They’ll cause you problems almost every time.

Hard Foods

It’s never good for your teeth to eat hard foods, and it’s particularly damaging if you also have braces on. You can end up breaking the braces entirely. This may result in your needing to get your braces completely reset. That’s potentially very expensive and doesn’t serve you in terms of getting your teeth straightened. Hard foods to avoid include things like hard candies and apples.

Sticky Foods

It’s all too easy for sticky foods to get stuck in your braces. They can latch on to the wiring of the braces and cause you problems immediately. Thus, you’ll want to ensure that you don’t mess around with sticky foods at all. People have noted that foods such as caramel and chewing gum are big red flag foods to avoid.

Crunchy Foods

You’ll need to avoid crunchy foods for some period of time. This means getting away from things like popcorn and chips. It’s hard to avoid some of these foods because they’re such staples of our diets in many cases, but it’s necessary while you have braces on.

You need to keep your teeth protected first and foremost, and the best way to do that is to take the advice of others who have worn braces before and avoid the foods described above. Doing so will help you avoid pain, discomfort, and damage to your braces. If you have questions or are ready to begin your braces journey, then get in touch with us at Imagine Braces today!