Braces are the only option for most people to get perfectly straight teeth, but it does not come without some major compromises. One of the most difficult things for someone with braces to handle is avoiding his or her favorite foods. Eating certain foods will keep the braces from properly straightening your teeth. These are the five foods that you must avoid when wearing braces.
Popcorn
Eating popcorn is not good for your teeth at any time, but it even worse for you when wearing braces. Popcorn is bad for your braces because the kernels can easily be caught between the brackets and your teeth. If this happens, then you are most likely going to need a special visit to the orthodontist to get your braces repaired, which also could be costly.
Pizza Crust
Can you eat pizza with braces? Pizza lovers can still enjoy their favorite food, but you have to be careful not to eat the crust. The crust on a thick crust pizza is usually chewy, which usually takes a lot of chewing to eat. This excessive chewing on a soft food is horrible for braces. You have to avoid thin crust pizzas too. The crust on these pizzas is usually very crunchy, which can also lead to problems when eating with braces. If you do not avoid eating pizza crust with your braces, then you could end up with bent wires, loose brackets or stuck food particles in your pizza with braces. These are not good options, so it is best to stop eating your pizza when you get to the crust.
Hard Cookies
Hard cookies are not an ideal choice if you are looking for a sweet treat when wearing braces. Hard cookies may have a great crunch that you enjoy, but that crunch is main reason why hard cookies are not good to eat with braces. Since they do not have the damaging crunchy texture, you can eat as many soft cookies as you want with your braces. If you are craving a sweet treat and only have hard cookies, then you can soften their texture by dunking them in milk. Once they become the consistency of a soft cookie, then they are safe to eat with your braces.
Chewing Gum/Chewy Candy
While you cannot do much damage to the wires and brackets of your braces by chewing gum, you should still avoid chewing it until your braces come off. The gum will be stuck every time it meets your braces. This will force you to spend hours picking out chewed pieces of gum out of your braces. Anyone that has ever had gum stuck in his or her braces will tell you that the cleaning process is horrible and something you desperately want to avoid.
Apples
Your days of biting directly into an apple are over when you get braces. One bad bite into an apple can completely knock off your braces, which will be one of the most painful things you experience in your life. If you want to enjoy apples while wearing braces, then you must cut them into small pieces before eating.
If you want to know what other kinds of foods or have any other questions regarding your braces, contact M. Scott Runnels today to schedule a consultation.
