Diet & eating habits

Diet and eating habits

A well balanced diet, minimizing sweets and sugared beverages is important. Hard, crunchy and sticky foods should not be eaten to avoid damaging your braces.

Stay away from hard food like:

  • Popcorn
  • Corn Chips
  • Hard Candy
  • Nuts
  • Ice (Chewing)
  • Plantain Chips
  • Peanut Brittle
  • Pizza Crust
  • Corn-on-the-cob

Hard food may do damage by bending wires, loosening cement under the brackets and bands or breaking the little brackets and tubes which have been attached.

Avoid sticky foods like:

  • Taffy/Toffee
  • Liquorice
  • “Gummy”
  • Caramel
  • Gum
  • Candy
  • Fruit Cakes
  • Fruit Roll-Ups
  • Dried Fruits

Sticky foods damage appliances by bending wires and pulling brackets orbands loose.

Brush/rinse immediately after sweets like:

  • Candy
  • Ice Cream
  • Cake and Pie
  • Soda Pop
  • Cupcakes
  • Pre-sweetened Cereals
  • Cookies
  • Shakes and Malts
  • Cookies

If you do eat them, brush your teeth immediately afterwards. If you cannot brush right away, always rinse your mouth with clear water after eating sweet foods.

Eat with care

  • Carrots Sticks- Cut into thin curls.
  • Apples- Slice into small wedges; don't bite into an apple.
  • Hard Breads (French)- Take small pieces; chew carefully.
  • Pizza- Take small bites. Avoid eating the crust.
  • Meats- Cut into mini bites and chew carefully.
  • Crackers and Biscuits- Take small pieces; chew carefully.
  • Peanut Butter- Soft only. Never eat “chunky” style.

A careful orthodontic patient can probably eat almost any food and do no damage to his or her appliance, however, use common sense or if you are in doubt ask our staff.

Foods to increase calcium and vitamin C

  • Milk
  • Yogurt
  • Cheese
  • Orange Juice
  • Apple Juice
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapefruit
  • Papaya
  • Melons

Calcium and vitamin C are very important for healing bone and collagen that were effected by the movement of your teeth. Consuming adequate amounts of these nutrients daily will also help maintain healthy gums.