Braces can straighten crooked teeth, restore your confidence, and give you the smile you’ve always wanted. However, they can make eating a challenge, especially in the first week or two after your dentist’s visit. Knowing what to expect during the adjustment process and what foods to avoid will help prevent damage to your dental appliances.

A Guide to Eating With Braces

Foods to Avoid Immediately After Getting Braces

While the installation is fairly painless, you may feel soreness for up to a few weeks afterward. While your mouth is adjusting to the unfamiliar pressure, it’s best to stay away from tough food that can irritate the gums and teeth. Your dentist will likely recommend that you stick to yogurt, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and other easy-to-eat meals for a few days.

To help deal with tooth sensitivity, stay away from ice cream, thick breads, spicy foods, and citrus until the second week. While they may not damage your appliances, they can cause discomfort while your teeth are adjusting.

Foods to Continue Avoiding

Unfortunately, some foods can damage your braces, so they should be avoided the entire time you’re wearing them. These include crunchy items like nuts and pretzels, crispy fruit, and sticky substances like licorice and chewing gum. Bagels, pizza crust, and other chewy foods can also cause fixtures to come loose or damage the wires.

Particles from candy and sweets can get stuck and rapidly promote tooth decay, so it’s best to minimize sugar in your diet. The hardware also creates many crevices and tiny crannies where bacteria can flourish, and since brushing your teeth is more of a challenge during this time, extra caution is necessary.

As Thomasville, NC’s one-stop dental care clinic, Nicholas J. Hurley, D.D.S., P.A., offers everything you need to keep your smile bright for years to come. They pride themselves on offering state-of-the-art care to every patient, combining old-fashioned service with innovative new technologies. Visit their website to learn more about the benefits of braces or call (336) 476-1109 to make your first appointment today.