Foods To Avoid
For most situations, common sense will tell you what to avoid. Hard foods, sticky foods,
and foods high in sugar must be avoided. Hard foods can break or damage wires and brackets. Sticky foods can get caught between brackets and wires. Minimize sugary foods because they can cause tooth decay and related problems. Nail biting, pencil
and pen chewing, and chewing on foreign objects should be avoided. The following list is not a complete list, but it is a great guideline!
Examples of Foods to Avoid:
- Foods containing hard or sticky caramels
- Ice cubes
- Gummy Bears/Worms/etc.
- Laffy Taffy
- Corn on the cob (must be cut off the cob to eat)
- Now-or-Laters
- Sugar Babies/Sugar Daddies
- Tootsie Rolls
- Nuts or anything with nuts in it
- Granola bars or cereal
- Hard candy (i.e., peppermints, Jolly Ranchers, etc.)
- Skittles
- Bubble gum with sugar – you may have all the sugar-free gum you would like
- Whole apples/carrots/pears, etc. (anything with a core needs to be removed from the core before eating)
- Any meat on the bone (must be removed from bone before eating)
- Starburst
- Hard pizza crust needs to be cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Do NOT bite into a hard crust.
- Corn chips (i.e., Doritos) will need to be broken into bite-sized pieces.
It's important to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. In the event of a loose/broken wire or bracket, call our office immediately to arrange an appointment for repair.