Think before you eat
When you have braces, you do not have to give up all of your favorite foods. However, eating some types of foods can break or loosen your appliances and can lengthen your time of treatment.

Avoid chewing on pens, pencils, and fingernails.
These habits damage braces more than anything else.

Avoid eating anything sticky or chewy.
This includes taffy, caramel, Airheads, Skittles, jellybeans, Mentos, Jolly Ranchers, Starburst, licorice, and candy bars that have caramel in them to name a few. Peanut butter is fine.

Avoid eating anything hard or crunchy.
This includes hard candies, hard pretzels, pizza crust, and ice to name a few.

Avoid biting into anything with a hard center.
This includes ribs or chicken legs. Pull the meat off the bone before eating.

Avoid “biting off” parts of food.
Cut apples into small wedges and chew them with your back teeth.
Also, you need to cut corn-on-the-cob off of the cob.

Avoid sucking on lemons.

And now for the good news:

• You may chew sugar-free gum. It helps relieve aches and tenderness.
• Popcorn is okay, but avoid eating the kernels that have not completely popped.
• Chips and tacos should be broken into small pieces and chewed in the back.
• If you eat raw veggies, cut them into small pieces and eat them with your back teeth.
• Other sweets and all sodas are okay, but make sure you brush immediately after you finish with them, or at least rinse with water.

If you have any questions regarding certain foods, please call us.

If something is broken or loose, please call as soon as possible. Fixing broken appliances takes extra time that your regularly scheduled appointment may not offer.