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Do you know what you can and can't eat with braces?

Many patients in my clinic are worried about orthodontics and depriving them of certain types of food. Having braces doesn't mean that you will be living on pureed, bland foods during your treatment. Knowing what foods you can and can't eat with your braces will help you achieve the optimum results after your orthodontic treatment has been completed.
Preventing damage to the archwires, bands, and brackets as well as keeping your teeth free from tooth decay during your treatment should be your number one concern.

 

In order to facilitate the topic, I will explain in a simple way the previous two terms:

1- Orthodontic braces
Pieces made of stainless steel, porcelain, or plastic that contain a special incision for inserting the orthodontic wire into them and are considered the main part of the orthodontic, and they are glued with a special material (composite) and when the brackets are subjected to strong pressures in excess of the normal limit, such as chewing a piece of bone or nucleus olives directly on the bracket, the adhesive material does not withstand these pressures and the bracket loses its adhesion to the tooth (while it is known among the people that the orthodontic piece has broken)

2- Orthodontic wires are thin wires that are bent and shaped into an arc (letter U) and are used to straighten teeth at close heights and to align the teeth in the form of a harmonious arc

What You Can and Can't Eat With Braces:

 

Fruits: Fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet. Even though fruit is a great choice for your health, how you choose to eat it is a challenge when you have braces.
Hard fruit, like an apple, for example, can be very difficult to bite into, because of the brackets that are on the teeth. Unripe pears and peaches pose the same problem. Cut hard fruits into bite-sized pieces so that they can be chewed with the back teeth.
Soft fruits are easily bitten into for braces wearers, but when teeth are tender, especially after a wire change, even the softest fruit can be a nightmare. Choose fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries for days when your teeth are tender.

Vegetables: Vegetables provide vitamins and minerals that are essential for growing bodies. Like fruit, vegetables need to be prepared slightly differently for people who wear braces.
Hard, raw vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli are tough to bite into with braces and may even pop a bracket off the tooth. When preparing raw vegetables, cut them into bite-sized pieces that can be easily chewed with the back teeth.
Most vegetables may be enjoyed cooke. If you are having a problem eating your favorite vegetable raw, try steaming it until it's tender, or boil it until it's soft. 

Grains: Grains provide fiber, iron, and many other nutrients that you require.
Grains are generally an easy food group for braces wearers because most grain products are very soft and easily chewed.

Dairy: Strong bones and teeth rely on a diet that is rich in calcium. Dairy products are an excellent choice for braces wearers because most dairy products are soft and require very little chewing.

Meat: Meat supplies protein and iron. Both are essential, especially for growing bodies. Meat, however, poses a problem for braces wearers because it's fibrous, making it hard to chew. Stringy meat will often become stuck in the braces, or between the teeth.
Select lean, tender cuts of meat and cut them into bite-sized pieces before you eat it. Also, remove meat from the bone before eating.

Candy: Eating candy can be very destructive to your braces, and possibly to the tooth's surface as well. 
Candy can be broken into two groups: hard and sticky. Morsels of toffee will adhere to the brackets and bands, which can easily break them off. Hard chocolate-covered nuts will do similar damage similar to its stick counterpart. Gummy candy will bend archwires and get stuck under your braces attachments.

Eating with braces doesn't have to be boring. Now that you know what you can and can't eat with braces, you are able to choose from a wide variety of braces-friendly foods, that are readily available and easily prepared.
Try to select a variety of foods from all of the food groups listed above.

Dr.Khaled Al-Kateb
Orthodontics Doctor - Abu Dhabi - Al-ain city.

References:

https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-you-can-and-cant-eat-with-braces-1059351 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/braces/about/pac-20384607