Hard or sticky foods damage your braces. Choose your foods wisely and pay attention to how you eat them. Loose brackets and bent wires considerably slows down treatment!
Do not eat
These are the foods you should absolutely not eat for the whole duration of your treatment!
- Chewing Gum (no exception)
- Candy and sticky toffee, licorice, jelly beans, taffy, etc..
- Popcorn (gets stuck under the gum and becomes very painful)
- Peanuts and nuts (unless soaked 2-3h in the water)
- No corn chips to (ex: Nachos, Doritos, taco)
- Ice cubes chewing
- Olives with pits
- Lemon chewing (pure lemon juice is harmful to enamel)
Foods to eat with caution
The following foods must be cut before being eaten. Above all, do not bite in to them:
- Raw vegetables, especially carrots should be sliced thin or in small pieces.
- Apples, pears, other hard fruits; cut them into quarters.
- Corn on the cob; remove the kernels from the cob with a knife.
- Baguette, croutons and pizza crust; do not eat if too hard.
- Granola and cookies; cut into pieces or do not eat if to hard.
- Ribs, chicken wings; cut meat off with utensils.
Sugary foods
Sugary foods should be avoided as much as possible, especially as a snack. Choose to eat them after meals and brush your teeth immediately after. If you are unable to brush, at the very least rinse your mouth with of water.
Avoid sugary and acidic beverages such as soft drinks and energy drinks (Gatorade). Watch out for juice, hot chocolate and sweet coffee by following these instructions:
- Do not sip a sweet beverage over long periods at a time, every sip reactivates the acidity that causes cavities.
- Rinse with water after drinking a sweet our acid beverage.
- Use a straw when possible.
Sensitive teeth
When a appliance is new or an adjustment is recent, your teeth may be sensitive for a period of about 1-4 days. We recommend a softer diet during the first few days.
For example you can eat:
- Pasta
- Omelets
- Hearty soup
- Pie
- Fish
- Yogurt
Medication
You can also take the painkiller ibuprofen, sold under the names "Advil” and "Motrin". This drug acts as an anti-inflammatory that soothes effectively discomfort due to tooth movement. Acetaminophen or "Tylenol" can also help.