It can be difficult to eat if you have dental braces, especially during the first few weeks that the braces are tight. The braces irritate the gums and cheeks and you may not be able to chew as before, because your teeth are not interacting the same way. As your treatment continues and your teeth move, you will have to constantly adjust your diet and how you eat.
What to eat with dental braces?
Choosing the right foods
Prefer soft foods. Soft foods such as bananas, mashed potatoes, yogurt, and scrambled eggs help relieve gums and avoid the risk of breaking the braces.
Smoothies full of fresh, frozen fruits or vegetables help relieve your teeth, especially during the first days after the braces are set. They help relieve the pain and they contain a lot of nutrients if you prepare them with fruit, yogurt, milk and even green leafy vegetables like kale. It’s a great way to make sure you ingest all the vitamins and nutrients you need when you can not eat solid foods.
Pasta, ravioli, spaghetti and macaroni and cheese are also excellent options.
Eat cold foods if you feel pain.
Indulge yourself with cold foods like ice cream, ice cream, milkshakes or frozen yogurt. The cold could temporarily numb the pain.
Choose foods that you can buy or prepare in different ways.
Because of its small grains, popcorn is food not recommended for people who wear dental braces, because it tends to get stuck between the gum and the wires of the dental appliance and cause irritation.
Avoid foods that are too hard or too crunchy.
As a general rule, you should avoid biting into a food that could break or twist the wire of the dental braces.
The hard foods you need to avoid are ice cubes, hard candies, pizza crust, nuts, and seeds.
Avoid foods that are too sticky<br />
Sticky foods or gums can stick to your braces and it will be difficult to clean them.
Avoid foods that you must bite with your front teeth.
This type of food includes sandwiches, pizzas, hamburgers, celery, carrots, and most fruits. You could damage your braces by using your front teeth to bite into food.
Avoid foods high in sugar.
Foods high in sugar can cause plaque build-up and damage the enamel of your teeth.
Crunch with the side of your mouth.
specially during the first few days or weeks after the installation of your dental braces, it might be impossible to use your front teeth for a while. Instead, try biting and chewing with your teeth on your side.