Eating with Braces

What can you eat? Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat! If you've been wanting to drop a few pounds, the first week wearing braces is just your chance! For the first day or so, stick to soft foods. Avoid tough meats, hard breads, and raw vegetables. Before long, you'll be able to bite a cucumber, apple and carrot again as long as you cut them in small pieces. Dr. Ouyang encourages a healthy diet to promote overall health!

Foods to Avoid

• Chewy foods: bagels, hard rolls, licorice
• Crunchy foods: popcorn, ice, chips
• Sticky foods: caramels, gum, Starbursts
• Hard foods: nuts, hard candy , beef jerky, hard pretzels, pizza crusts,
• Foods you have to bite into: corn on the cob, apple and carrots unless cut into small pieces
• Chewing on hard things (for example, pens, pencils or fingernails) can damage the braces. Damaged braces can cause treatment to take longer, as it can bend the wire, resulting in unfavorable tooth movement.
  

We are not able to list every single food you should avoid on this list. Use good judgment when you eat and feel free to call our office if you have specific questions.