Orthodontic braces involve an adjustment period. The brackets and wires feel bulky and your gums and teeth might ache. Your teeth and braces require careful cleaning and maintenance to ensure your teeth and gums remain healthy and plaque-free. You also need to pay attention to the foods you eat. Eating certain types of foods can damage the braces or affect the health of your teeth.
Reasons for Caution
Bacteria in your mouth thrive on sugars and starches, explains Nebraska orthodontist Dan Peterson. Bacteria grow rapidly in the presence of sugar and starch, producing acids that dissolve tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. Food easily becomes stuck in the brackets and wires of your braces, encouraging bacteria to grow. It is not only the damage to your teeth that is a concern, but also the damage to the braces themselves. Certain types of foods can bend or break wires or brackets. The broken braces must be repaired and your teeth can move out of position, adding to treatment time.
Damage to Braces
Avoid hard or sticky foods, notes Jerome Shuman on his website Braces Questions. Hard and sticky foods can break or bend brackets and wires and loosen bands. Sticky foods can also adhere to your braces or tooth surfaces and promote bacteria growth. Examples of hard foods include hard candy, ice, hard pretzels, jerky, bagels, popcorn, whole apples and carrots, and corn on the cob. If you do eat hard food, never bite it with your front teeth because you can loosen or break the front brackets. Sticky foods include caramel, taffy and gum. Sugar-free gum might be acceptable, but check with your orthodontist.
Damage to Teeth
Foods with high sugar content, such as candy, encourage bacterial growth that can erode tooth enamel, explains Shuman. Acidic foods, such as sodas or citrus juices, can also damage enamel and cause permanent discolorations. How often you eat sugary foods is more important than how much you eat at any one time, Peterson says. Sugars and starches eaten alone, such as snacks, are more damaging than when they are eaten as part of a meal because other foods help offset the action of bacterial acids on tooth enamel.
Proper Oral Hygiene
Although you should avoid eating foods that can damage your braces, you can occasionally eat foods high in sugar or acid content if you brush carefully afterward, advises Shuman. Brush thoroughly with a fluoride toothpaste as soon as possible after eating sugary foods. Floss regularly. You need to practice careful oral hygiene even when you eat soft, nondamaging foods, Peterson says. Brush between your teeth and around the brackets daily. Use a fluoride rinse to help repair damaged enamel. Examine your teeth and braces after brushing to make sure you did not inadvertently overlook food hidden in between brackets. Continue to see your dentist every six months for a professional cleaning.
Considerations
See your orthodontist immediately if any part of your braces break or feel loose, suggests Shuman. Broken or loosened brackets and wires could undo some of the progress the braces have made.
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