The dos and don'ts for braces!
There is a long long list of things that you are and aren't supposed to eat with braces!
The most important things NOT to have are:
1. Fizzy drinks (even if they are sugar free):
- Although everyone loves the odd coca-cola or fanta, they are pretty bad when you have braces on them. The high amounts of sugar in them can cause plaque to build up on your teeth- normally you would probably be able to wash it off if you brushed your teeth well but with braces it is different. Because the brackets are glued to your teeth, and marks left surrounding that area will be way more noticable when the brackets come off, therefore it's best to avoid them.
Trick:
However, I do still have them occasionally but try to brush my teeth straight after and to drink through a straw to reduce how much sugar gets to my teeth.
- Even diet/ sugar free drinks should be avoided; they are carbonated, meaning that they have acid in them. Acid is bad for your teeth and can cause plaque to build up and for them to stain. Due to this it is also better to avoid fizzy drinks for the same reasons as sugary drinks.
2. Hard foods e.g. baguettes, apples:
- The last thing you feel like having when you first have your braces fitted is anything hard, but after a while you start to fancy these types of food again you realise how difficult it is to eat them without something on your brace breaking or your teeth becoming very sore and aching.
Trick:
Try and cut the food up into small, chewable pieces; therefore making them easy to chew on your back teeth so they are less likely to break.
3. Chewing gum and chewey sweets:
- These are a big No No! Anything chewey can easily get wrapped round the wire of your teeth and pull it loose, breaking your braces, so they must be avoided.
Trick:
There isn't really much you can do about this apart from eating mints instead! The only other solution I have found is that the Veggie Percy Pigs that they sell in Marks and Spencers seem a lot softer and less chewey than normal sweets e.g. haribo. They still probably wouldn't be recommended by your orthdontist but if you are craving sweets then I would say that these are the best option!