206 Braces Diet: Foods to Avoid for Successful Treatment
One of the common treatments for misaligned teeth and to improve overall dental health is braces. Braces consist of brackets, wires, and rubber bands that work together to gradually shift teeth into the desired position. While braces are the most effective way to achieve a beautiful smile, they require proper care to ensure successful treatment.
But it means giving up gummy bears or putting away popcorn, nut, etc.?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is yes. If you’re thinking about getting braces, you have no choice but to stick to a special diet that suits your braces, as certain foods can easily damage or dislodge the brackets and wires.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the foods to avoid with braces and provide useful tips for eating with braces to promote good oral health and successful orthodontic treatment.
Read More: Permanent Teeth Straightening
What Can You Not Eat with Braces?
Many patients ask the same question in different ways: what can you not eat with braces, what foods can you not eat with braces, or what foods you can’t eat with braces. The rule is simple: avoid any food that is hard, sticky, chewy, or very crunchy.
These foods can:
Bend or break the wires
Knock off brackets
Get stuck behind the braces where brushing and flossing cannot reach
Increase your risk of cavities and white spots
In short, the main things you can’t eat with braces are:
Hard foods, such as nuts, ice, hard candies, hard taco shells, popcorn kernels, and thick pizza crust.
Sticky and chewy foods, such as gum, caramel, toffee, gummy candy, and very chewy granola bars.
Tough foods, such as jerky, ribs on the bone, chewy bagels, and thick, chewy bread that you must tear with your front teeth.
Very sugary snacks and drinks that stay in your mouth for a long time.
If you are ever unsure, ask yourself: “Will this be hard to bite or hard to chew” If the answer is yes, it probably belongs on your foods to avoid with braces list.
Read More: Permanent Teeth Straightening
Quick List of Foods You Can’t Eat with Braces
If you want a simple answer to what can’t you eat with braces, start with this list. These are the main foods you can’t eat with braces because they break wires, loosen brackets, or get stuck where you cannot clean them.
Sticky foods to avoid with braces, such as gum, caramel, toffee, taffy, gummy candies, fruit snacks, and chewy granola bars.
Hard foods to avoid with braces, such as nuts, hard candies, ice cubes, popcorn kernels, hard cookies or crackers, and hard pretzels.
Crunchy snacks to avoid with braces, such as corn chips, taco shells, crusty bread, pizza crust, and croutons.
Tough or chewy foods to avoid with braces, such as beef jerky, ribs on the bone, chewy bagels, and thick, chewy bread.
Very sugary snacks and sweets, such as sticky candy, lollipops, and sweets you suck on for a long time.
If you try to build a list of foods you can’t eat with braces or even “100 things you can’t eat with braces”, most of them will fit into these few groups: hard, sticky, chewy, or very sugary. If a food needs a strong bite or long chewing, it is usually a food to avoid with braces.
Drinks to Avoid with Braces
Just as there are foods to avoid with braces, there are also drinks that can cause problems. Sugary and acidic drinks can damage tooth enamel, feed bacteria, and make it harder to keep your braces clean.
Try to avoid or limit:
Sugary drinks, such as sodas, energy drinks, sweetened teas, sports drinks, and juice drinks
Acidic drinks, such as many soft drinks, citrus drinks, and flavored waters with acid
These drinks can lead to cavities, white spots around brackets, and erosion of the enamel. If you do drink them, use a straw, drink quickly rather than sipping all day, and rinse with water afterward. The safest choice that is both tooth‑friendly and brace‑friendly is plain water.
Read More: How Long Do You Have to Wear Braces?
What to Eat Right After Getting Braces
Right after you get braces, your teeth and gums may feel sore for a few days. During this time, even normal foods can feel uncomfortable. It is better to stay with soft foods you can eat with braces until the tenderness improves.
Good options include:
Soup, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, yogurt, and oatmeal
Pasta, soft grains, and soft bread
Soft fruits, such as bananas or ripe pears, and soft cheeses
Cooked or soft vegetables, such as steamed carrots or squash
Moist desserts that are not sticky or hard
This first stage is short. Once the soreness goes away, you can slowly return to more of your regular foods, while still avoiding the main foods to avoid with braces listed above.
Foods You Can Eat with Braces
You do not have to feel like everything is on the foods you can’t eat with braces list. There are many safe foods you can eat with braces every day if you prepare them the right way.
Examples of safe choices:
Soft fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, berries, ripe peaches, cooked carrots, steamed broccoli, and mashed potatoes.
Dairy foods, such as yogurt, cheese, and milk.
Soft grains, such as pasta, rice, noodles, soft bread, and pancakes.
Soft proteins, such as scrambled eggs, tofu, tender fish, minced meat, and meat cut into small pieces.
Soft snacks, such as smoothies, applesauce, soft muffins without hard nuts, and ice cream without hard or sticky toppings.
The basic idea is simple: choose foods that are soft, cut into small pieces, and easy to chew. This way you protect your braces and still eat a varied, healthy diet.
Breakfast with Braces: Cereal and Other Options
Many patients ask can you eat cereal with braces or can I eat cereal with braces. The short answer is yes, but only if it is soft enough and not very crunchy.
Choose softer cereals, such as oatmeal, rice cereal, cream of wheat, and other cereals that soften fully in milk.
Avoid hard crunchy cereals that stay firm in milk and can damage your brackets and wires.
If you really want a crunchy cereal, let it soak in milk for a few minutes until it softens before you eat it.
Can I eat Frosted Flakes with braces Frosted Flakes and similar crunchy cereals are not ideal. They are both hard and sugary. If you choose to have them, let them soften in milk first and eat them slowly and gently, then brush your teeth afterwards. For daily habits, it is safer to pick softer, less crunchy options.
Read More: Permanent Teeth Straightening
Eating with Braces: Tips
Eating with braces does not have to be stressful. If you follow a few simple rules, you can enjoy most of the foods you can eat with braces without damaging your brackets and wires.
Cut hard foods into small pieces, for example, slice apples and carrots instead of biting into them whole.
Use a fork and knife instead of biting directly into foods like sandwiches, pizza slices, or burgers.
Avoid the foods you can’t eat with braces that are hard, sticky, or very chewy, such as nuts, popcorn, caramel, and chewing gum.
Chew slowly and use your back teeth more, as they are stronger and give more control.
No matter what you eat, clean your teeth and braces carefully. Brush after every meal when possible, floss at least once a day, and use mouthwash if your orthodontist recommends it. This keeps food out of the brackets and reduces the risk of cavities.
Can you eat with wax on your braces?
Yes, you can. Always remember that orthodontic wax is non-toxic; therefore, it’s safe if you accidentally swallow it. In fact, it’s designed to be used in your mouth, so you’ll definitely ingest some when you apply it.
If you have a mouth ulcer, the wax can help you eat without experiencing too much discomfort. However, eating a meal may dislodge the wax, so it’s best to replace it afterward. Just make sure to brush your teeth first to avoid attaching food debris to your braces.
Takeaway
Getting braces is one of the best ways to improve your smile and overall dental health. To protect your investment, you must avoid the main foods to avoid with braces and follow your orthodontist’s advice about foods you can eat with braces safely.
At York Orthodontics, we explain what can’t you eat with braces and how to adjust your meals so you can enjoy everyday food without damaging your brackets and wires. If you are ever unsure whether something belongs on the foods you can’t eat with braces list, ask us before you eat it. Preventing damage is always easier than fixing it, and it keeps your treatment time as short as possible.
FAQs
Can I eat Frosted Flakes with braces is a very common question. Frosted Flakes are crunchy and sugary, so they are not the best daily choice. If you decide to eat them, let them soak in milk until they are soft, chew gently, and brush your teeth right after.
Yes, you can eat cereal with braces, but choose soft options. Oatmeal, rice cereal, cream of wheat, and other cereals that soften completely in milk are best. Hard, crunchy cereals belong on your foods you can’t eat with braces list unless you soften them in milk first.
If you want a simple rule, any food that needs strong biting or long chewing is a food to avoid with braces. Whole raw carrots, whole apples, corn on the cob, hard taco shells, and thick pizza crust should be cut into small pieces or avoided until your orthodontist says it is safe.
You should avoid foods you can’t eat with braces that are hard, sticky, chewy, or very crunchy. This includes nuts, popcorn, hard candies, ice, caramel, toffee, chewing gum, jerky, and very chewy bread or bagels. These foods can break wires, loosen brackets, and get stuck where your toothbrush and floss cannot reach.