While you are wearing braces, please avoid eating hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar. Hard foods can break or damage the wires and brackets, and sticky foods can get caught between the wires and brackets. Minimize the amount of sugary foods you eat; the sugar can cause tooth decay and other related problems.
Examples of Sticky Foods to Avoid:
- Gum (of ANY kind)
- Licorice
- Sugar Daddies
- Toffee
- Tootsie Rolls
- Caramels
- Starburst
- Jolly Ranchers
- Laffy Taffy
- Beef Jerky
- Granola and Protein Bars
Examples of Hard Foods to Avoid:
- Ice
- Nuts
- Hard taco shells and thick tortilla chips
- French bread crust/rolls/pizza crust
- Corn on the cob
- Raw apples, celery and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
- Bagels
- Chips (Lays and Pringles are okay)
- Popcorn
We encourage patients to quit bad habits, such as fingernail biting, pencil and pen chewing and chewing on foreign objects. All of these activities can break or damage your braces.
It's important to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. If you have a loose/broken wire or bracket, please call our office immediately to arrange a repair appointment.