Braces are a crucial part of many orthodontic treatments, helping to align teeth and improve dental health. While wearing braces, it’s essential to maintain a balanced diet and avoid foods that can damage the brackets and wires. If you're receiving orthodontic treatment in Newmarket or anywhere else, knowing what foods to avoid can prevent unnecessary trips to your orthodontist and keep your braces in good condition throughout the treatment.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on what foods to avoid when wearing braces, helping you take the best care of your orthodontic treatment.
Why Certain Foods Are Harmful to Braces
Braces are designed to move teeth gradually into the correct position using a system of brackets and wires. However, these components are not immune to damage, especially when exposed to hard, sticky, or chewy foods. Some foods can bend or break the wires, dislodge brackets, or cause discomfort, slowing down your treatment progress. If you're undergoing orthodontic treatment, avoiding the wrong foods is an easy way to ensure your braces do their job efficiently.
Hard Foods
One of the biggest enemies of braces is hard foods. Biting into hard foods can snap the brackets or bend the wires, leading to discomfort and additional appointments with your orthodontist. Foods like nuts, hard candies, and popcorn are common culprits. Chewing on ice is another habit that can wreak havoc on braces. Even foods that seem harmless, such as hard fruits like apples or raw vegetables like carrots, should be eaten with caution. These foods can still be enjoyed, but they should be cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces to reduce the pressure on your braces.
If you’re receiving orthodontic treatment near you, your orthodontist in Newmarket will likely advise you to avoid hard foods entirely during your treatment period to prevent damage.
Sticky Foods
Sticky foods pose another challenge for those wearing braces. These foods can get stuck between the wires and brackets, making it difficult to clean and increasing the risk of plaque buildup and tooth decay. Chewing gum, caramel, toffee, and gummy candies are particularly problematic. When these sticky substances get lodged in your braces, they can loosen or dislodge brackets, requiring repair. Sticky foods can also make it harder to keep your teeth clean, leading to additional dental issues.
During orthodontic treatment near you, your orthodontist in Newmarket will likely recommend staying away from sticky treats. Not only do they risk your braces, but they can also complicate your oral hygiene routine.
Crunchy Foods
Crunchy snacks, while tempting, are another food group to avoid when wearing braces. Potato chips, pretzels, and certain crackers can apply uneven pressure to your braces, causing damage. These snacks can also leave behind small, sharp fragments that become lodged between the braces and your teeth. Cleaning out these crumbs can be difficult and can increase the likelihood of plaque buildup, leading to gum issues and tooth decay. Instead of crunchy snacks, try softer alternatives like cheese, yogurt, or applesauce.
Your orthodontist near you will stress the importance of keeping crunchy foods out of your diet during the entire orthodontic treatment to protect your braces and keep your teeth healthy.
Chewy Foods
Chewy foods like bagels, pizza crusts, and tough meats can be difficult to bite into and chew when wearing braces. The constant chewing pressure can dislodge brackets or bend wires, delaying your progress. These foods can also get stuck in your braces, making it challenging to clean them thoroughly.
If you're undergoing orthodontic treatment in Newmarket, it’s a good idea to replace chewy foods with softer options. For example, instead of pizza crusts, you can opt for a softer pizza base, or choose tender meats that are easier to eat.
Sugary Foods and Drinks
Sugary foods and beverages are problematic for everyone’s oral health, but they are especially harmful to those with braces. Sugary treats like candy, sodas, and even sweetened coffee or tea can lead to plaque buildup around your brackets and wires. This can increase the risk of cavities, especially if sugar remains stuck around the braces. Since braces make it harder to brush and floss effectively, limiting your intake of sugary foods is critical to maintaining good oral hygiene.
If you’re receiving orthodontic treatment near you, particularly from an orthodontist in Newmarket, you will likely be advised to limit or avoid sugary foods and beverages to prevent cavities and other dental issues during your treatment.
Foods That Require Biting Into
Some foods require a strong bite to eat, which can lead to damaged braces. Corn on the cob, whole apples, and raw carrots are examples of foods that should be avoided or eaten differently. Corn can be cut off the cob, apples can be sliced, and carrots can be steamed to make them softer and easier to chew without putting stress on your braces.
If you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment in Newmarket, your orthodontist will provide similar advice to help protect your braces while still enjoying healthy foods.
Acidic Foods and Drinks
Acidic foods and drinks, such as citrus fruits and sodas, can weaken the enamel on your teeth. For someone with braces, this is especially concerning because the brackets make it harder to keep teeth clean. Prolonged exposure to acidic substances can lead to enamel erosion, increasing the risk of cavities and other dental problems. To reduce the risk, it’s best to limit acidic foods and drinks, or at least rinse your mouth with water after consuming them.
Orthodontists near you will often recommend limiting acidic substances to prevent damage to both your teeth and braces during treatment.
Conclusion
Taking care of your braces means more than just attending appointments and adjusting wires. The foods you eat play a significant role in the success of your orthodontic treatment. If you are undergoing orthodontic treatment in Newmarket or another location, avoiding hard, sticky, chewy, sugary, and acidic foods will help protect your braces and ensure your teeth stay healthy. Remember, these dietary adjustments are temporary, but the benefits of a straight, healthy smile will last a lifetime.
Whether you’re seeing an orthodontist near you, following these guidelines will help you get the best results from your orthodontic treatment and minimize complications.
The first stage of treatment is to assess the state of your teeth and how they're likely to develop.
Orthodontic treatment uses appliances to correct the position of the teeth.
These braces should only be taken out of the mouth for cleaning or as a precaution during certain activities, such as cycling or playing a wind instrument.
Your orthodontist can advise you about this.
Still, we have a tendency to take our dental health for granted.
It will also enable you to save money and avoid painful treatments at a later stage.
Orthodontics is a distinct branch of dentistry that deals with the tracking, analysis, and correction of misaligned jaws, teeth and bite patterns.
If you regularly visit your dentist, then there is every chance of tracking the misalignment at an early stage and avoiding any damage caused to the jaw bone owing to the impact of the collision of teeth.
This is an ideal treatment for growing children as a new bone is needed to be added in the middle of the stretched palate.
It also reduces the chances of any future requirements of surgeries.
Do you or your child have crooked teeth?
At Ashton Avenue Dental Practice, we offer all the revolutionary orthodontic treatments such as ceramic braces, metal braces and Invisalign to straighten your teeth.
