You just got braces, and the new sensation in your mouth makes you have many questions. Lingering thoughts you might have might be ‘what food to eat after braces?’ You will also wonder whether you’ll eat soft foods for the rest of your treatment period.
The good news is that you will not have to stick only to soft foods for the whole duration. What’s more, your diet will not change overnight when you get the braces. All you’ll need to do is slowly adjust your diet to one that will suit your new phase. What is also interesting is that there is an array of best foods you can consider when you have braces. Awareness of good and bad foods is essential as this helps care for your braces and have the best results.
Cost of Braces
It would be best to know that the cost of getting braces varies. One of the determining factors is the graveness of your case, depending on your diagnosis. The cost of the orthodontic appliance you go for also impacts the cost of the braces. Also, the cost of braces in Texas is determined by the orthodontist and practice where you seek treatment.
To be aware of the cost of braces in Richmond, the best move would be to research and compare the quotations. Ideally, you can search for ‘cost of braces near me.’ This way, you can have an idea of the options you have.
Why is Meal Changes Necessary When You Get Braces?
Notably, dietary changes have an impact on the effectiveness of the braces. By choosing the best foods, you’ll feel comfortable. In addition, you’ll avoid extra trips to your orthodontist for repairs.
To Protect Braces from Damage
People with braces need to change their diet because of the risk of damaging braces. Be aware that hard foods can dislodge a bracket from its tooth, rendering it ineffective. This will then require you to visit your orthodontist for repairs.
To Avoid Discomfort
There is a high probability of feeling sore for the first few days of getting braces. While your get used to the new setting, it’s best that you only rely on soft foods. Ensure to go for foods that are easy to eat with braces.
To Minimize the Risk of Staining Your Teeth
Drinking and eating foods with sugar and not brushing your teeth sooner is a significant cause of teeth staining. To ensure that your teeth are not stained, minimize sugary foods.
Best Foods to Eat With Braces
Now that you know why dietary change is necessary, your primary concern might be what to eat with braces. Here, we will cover the things you can eat when you first get braces.
Fruits
Without a doubt, fruits are an essential part of a healthy diet. A fantastic aspect is that many fruits are ideal when you first get your braces. An outstanding characteristic of fruits is that they have simple sugars; hence you don’t have to worry about teeth staining. The simple sugars in these soft foods will significantly boost your energy. Take notice that vitamin C fruits are suitable for your teeth and excellent for your gums.
Even when fruits are the best options when you have braces, taking them with braces might be challenging. Hard fruits that can be difficult to bite include apples and unripe peaches or pears. It might be tough to eat because of the braces on the teeth. To enjoy these fruits, you’ll need to cut them into small pieces. Even after a wire change, soft fruits you can go for include blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries. They are ideal when your teeth as still tender.
Vegetables
Amazingly, vegetables are among the things to eat when you have braces. What’s good about veggies is that they are delicious when raw or cooked. However, raw vegetables are not braces safe food because your teeth are still sore. This should not be an excuse to keep off vegetables from your meal as they provide essential minerals and vitamins.
Just like fruits, you have to prepare your vegetables differently. Some raw vegetables like broccoli and carrots might be hard to bite and, even worse, can pop off a bracket. To avoid this, ensure to cut them into smaller sizes when preparing them. Even with braces, you can still enjoy your favorite vegetables by steaming them until they are tender.
Dairy
When thinking of what to eat with braces, dairy products should be included in your list. Besides being soft and easy to chew, these products are rich in vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and protein. Among the dairy products, you can enjoy with braces is yogurt. Yogurt is excellent for your sore teeth as it provides you with a numbing effect.
To ensure that you are on a balanced diet, even when consuming yogurt, take low-fat. You’ll need to be careful when purchasing this dairy product as some brands have compensated for the low-fat with more sugar. If you are lactose-intolerant, you don’t have to worry as there is an alternative for you. Your best option is soy-based dairy products, as you can easily take them with braces.
Note that it can quickly get stuck in your braces when you take soft cheese. To ensure there is no food in braces, prepare bite-sized cheese. Another ideal option would be to purchase cheese string products that you can easily peel.
Meat
When it comes to braces and food, meat might sound odd to be one of the options to go for. What’s certain is that meat can be tough to eat if you just got your braces. To begin with, eating meat from the bone, such as chicken wings or ribs, can easily pop off your bracket. However, it would help if you did not worry as you can still go for tender and lean meat. To ensure that they are easy to consume, provide to chop them into smaller pieces.
One of the meat options you can go for is fish. Besides being easy to prepare, fish meat is an excellent option for tooth sores. One thing to note about fish is that they are rich in omega-three fatty acids and anti-inflammatory properties. This hence implies that the fatty acids can help alleviate the swelling and pain in your teeth. Fish is, therefore, doubtlessly an excellent soft food for braces. If you are a vegetarian, tofu is a great option to consider.
Pancake
If you think, ‘just got braces what can I eat for breakfast?’ pancake is ideal for you. What’s excellent about pancakes is that they are soft bread making them ideal for a breakfast meal option. This component also makes it a perfect food to eat after braces. One thing, however, is you should not consume this food daily. This is because pancakes are also prepared with fruit compotes or sugar, often high in sugar. Even with this caution, you don’t have to be worried about making pancakes as they will not damage your braces.
Smoothies
Smoothies are undoubtedly one of the food to eat after braces. They are always a great start to your day. Smoothies are ideal if you just got your braces as they are jam-packed with minerals and vitamins. This all depends on the ingredients you choose to add to your concoction. To customize your flavor, you can consider adding vegetables, fruits even caffeine and protein vitamins.
What’s impressive about smoothies is that they offer a cool sensation to your sore teeth, making them good foods. As a result, your first week of braces will be relatively easy as you’ll experience minimal pain and swelling.
Eggs
The last option of food to eat after braces are eggs. Eggs are classified as one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. You certainly need to enjoy it with such a good reputation even when you get your braces. Besides being a healthy option, it is one of the easy food to eat with braces. This is because you can easily chew even when you have sore teeth.
You can prepare this protein-filled option in numerous ways. These include; boiled, scrambled, or boiled. To spice it up, you can add vegetables and enjoy your meal.
Foods to Avoid With Braces
As seen above, one of the primary reasons for food restrictions is to prevent your braces from getting damaged. Since on braces and food you are acquitted on what to eat with braces, it’s best to know what can’t you eat with braces.
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Crunchy and Chewy Foods
Crunchy foods are certainly not among the best foods to eat when you get braces. The problem with these foods is that they can bend the wires or, even worse, pop off the brackets. Crunchy foods you should keep off include pretzels, corn chips, and nuts.
Furthermore, with braces, you’ll have difficulty feeding on chewy foods. Chewy foods to avoid are; bagels, chewy rolls, and beef jerky. Avoiding these foods is necessary as they are a high cause of loosening parts on the braces. As a result, the braces will be less effective, or you’ll need several visits to your dentist.
Sugary and Sticky Foods
You need to be aware that sugary foods are not always ideal for your teeth and health. This being said, you need to be more cautious of these foods when you get braces. You should also bear in mind that sugary drinks like juice and soda can also be damaging.
On the same note, you should avoid sticky foods. Such include bubble gum, gummy bears, and caramels. Even when they might not be harmful to your teeth, you’ll have difficulty cleaning your teeth.
While you should avoid sugary foods, there are some that you can take. It is, however, essential to ensure they are not hard and sticky. Once you’ve eaten these foods, ensure to brush your teeth immediately to ensure there is no food in braces.
Food You’ll Need to Bite With Your Front Teeth
Still on the braces and food subject, you need to avoid meals that require biting using the front teeth. These foods are dangerous as they can potentially damage your braces. In addition, these foods can bend the wires or even pop off the brackets in your braces, making them ineffective. Besides causing damage to your braces, it can be challenging to bite these foods using your front teeth.
You might have concerns about whether you might indulge in some foods. Possible questions you might have include:
can you eat chocolate with braces?
Fortunately, you can still enjoy your chocolate even when you get braces. The critical point is to ensure you take it in moderation. White or soft milk chocolate is ideal to go for. Make sure that they do not have toffee or nuts inside.
can you eat pizza with braces?
It is safe to take pizza with braces. It, however, all runs down to the type of pizza you decide to get. The best option will be the soft-crust pizza. It would be best to keep off tough crusts as they can easily damage your braces or stick on the wires.
can you eat popcorn with braces?
When it comes to braces and food, popcorn should be among the foods you should avoid. The reasons why full-hull popcorns should not be an option for you. This is because they can harm your teeth or break your braces. However, if you have a deep craving for popcorn, you can go for the once with no hull.
can you eat ice cream with braces?
Without a doubt, ice cream falls under what to eat with braces category. Ice cream is often an ideal option as it reduces the pain and inflammation by numbing the area. However, you should know that the coldness might hurt your teeth further for the first few days. When choosing an ice cream, you should be cautious of your ingredients.
It’s worth noting that when you learn how to eat food with braces, you decrease the chances of damaging them. This then translates to avoiding unnecessary appointments with your orthodontist. When you know how to eat with braces, you’ll have the best results at the end of the treatment.
How to Care for Your Braces
Once you have braces on your teeth, it is mandatory that you pay extra attention to them. Hence, you should be aware of the tips for people with braces. This ensures that your teeth do not decay, stain, or have gum disease. Once you know the food to eat after braces, the next step is how to care for them.
Brush Regularly
It’s recommended that you brush your teeth at least twice daily. However, when you get braces, it is wise that you consider brushing your teeth after every meal. This is to ensure you get rid of any food in braces.
Floss and Mouthwash
Bear in mind that a toothbrush might effectively clean the cracks between your teeth. To have access to such areas, flossing is critical. Once you are done brushing and flossing, mouthwash is vital to ensure you get to all the stubborn spots.
Check the Mirror
This is vital to ensure that your braces are adequately cleaned. Another advantage of checking your mirror after cleaning is to check wires that are sticking out or out of place. Regularly checking the mirror will help you identify an issue soon and resolve it with your orthodontist.
Choose Your Diet Carefully
It’s crucial that you watch the dietary plan you go for once you have braces. Above are the meals to eat with braces that will help avoid brace damage. To be aware of the food to eat with braces, it would also help to consult with your doctor on the best foods.
Visit Your Doctor Regularly
One of the tips for people with braces is visiting the doctor regularly. This way, they can identify your progress. During these visits, you can air out your needs and concerns about the braces. If you wonder how long do braces Take, your doctor can answer you during your appointments.
Tips for Living With Braces
Indeed, life with braces might sound tough. However, there are several things you can do to make it easier. These aspects will be easy to go by when you follow the tips for people for braces.
Watch Bad Chewing Habits
Besides focusing on braces and food, you also need to be mindful of what goes in your mouth. Therefore, if you tend to chew on pencils or fingernails, you should avoid it during your treatment.
Avoid Whitening Agents
While you have braces, it is wise that you don’t use any whitening agents. This is because it will unevenly whiten your teeth, which you do not want.
Wear a Mouth Guard When Playing a Sport
If you are a sports person, you can only focus on braces and food and keep off your favorite sporting activity. Before you go to the field, ensure to have a mouth guard on to prevent damaging your braces. Note that if you are not careful, the wires in the braces may cut and injure your cheeks or gums.
Avoid Certain Foods
We have emphasized this aspect enough as it is the most crucial aspect of having braces. The best foods you should go for when you have braces are soft foods. This will help eliminate any major issues.
To achieve the best results after your orthodontic treatment, your primary focus should be on braces and food. You should be aware of food to eat after braces to help you make life with braces easier. If you are a resident of Richmond, TX and its surroundings, contact us today to learn more about Invisalign braces and gets answers to what can you eat with braces. Our experts at Elara Orthodontics in Richmond Texas are available to offer you free consultation services.
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