food do's and don'ts ?

[Lillaree]

hey everyone,
I was wondering about what foods can and can't I eat once I get my braces?
I think I am going w/ traditional metal bracket on the bottom and clear bracket on the top.
I heard some foods stain the clear brackets? And others are hard to eat and to clean out of the braces.

Please let me know what I'm getting myself into...

Thanks, Lillaree

[lightskinnnn38]

Food don't stain the brackets, but the ligatures (bands) that go around your brackets. I would stay away from mustard and curry. Those are definitely two foods that will stain. I'm bad about staying away from mustard though... I love sandwiches!

[Lillaree]

What about red foods ie ketchup, pizza sauce, strawberries?

[abbaker]

lol Lightskinnnn I just had a curry wrap the other day (rookie mistake!) and totally stained part of my powerchain

Ketchup and pizza sauce won't stain. I'm not sure about strawberries since I rarely eat them. Something that definitely stains though is red wine. So if you're going to be eating or drinking some very dark red foods I would suggest just doing a quick brush afterwards to be safe!

Also stay away from hard candies or anything super crunchy (raw carrots, apples, etc).

[Lillaree]

Ok here is what my diet (if you want to call it that) consists of and you tell me if I can have it.
I love bread.
lots of fruit (mainly apples, grapes, pears, and bananas)
Cereal/oatmeal
Pizza
Casadias
Veggies: spinach, greens, okra, corn, salads
PB&J's
Meats: chicken, fish, and pork(usually brats)
Pasta
Nuts: Peanuts and Cashews
Popcorn
And for drinks: Iced & hot tea, Coffee(only in the winter), Gatorade(usu. in the summer), Juice's, Milk, & once in a while Soda.

That's the gist of it. PLEASE tell me what you think.
Thanks, Laree

[Bracer215]

Well I eat almost everything now but am careful when I chew. That being said, eating popcorn is what snapped a bracket off one of my molars last month.

[abbaker]

Yeah lots of my formerly-braced friends are like "I ate whatever I wanted and it was fine!" ...then again they had their braces on for like 5 years. I wouldn't risk it, personally (I never cheat and am getting braces off a year and a half earlier than expected- coincidence? who knows...) But that's up to you!

Of that list, these are the foods I would strongly suggest you stop eating!! :

-apples (unless you cut them up into thin slices; biting straight into an apple is notorious for snapping off brackets, plus I think it would be painful for your poor teef!)
-same for pears, cut them up!
-corn on the cob is probably not a great idea
-any nuts at all are a no-no. Those things are rock hard!
-popcorn is a no. You could bite into a kernel and screw yourself over
-as for the pop, I think a lot of people try to drink it through a straw whenever possible but that's mainly so that you don't splash sugar and acid around your entire mouth (however, I mean, that's up to you)
-Also I would not recommend potato chips (crisps? idk where you're from)... but some ppl think they're fine so it's up to you.

And by casadias did you mean quesadillas? those are awesome so yes eat some!! hehe.

If your teeth hurt too much to eat something either don't eat it, or cut it up into small pieces!
Hope this was helpful.

[NarcoAngel]

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are great when your teeth are sore. But I still cant bite out of them, so I have to pinch off the pieces.

All liquids not water I use a straw...

[Lillaree]

And by casadias did you mean quesadillas? .

Yes that's what I meant
As for apples and pears, I ALWAYS cut them up. I might have to cut them up smaller though.

Thank you guys, this is very helpful. Please feel free to add anything else you think of.
Lillaree

[Fluorescent]

Eh, well, I don't eat popcorn. That is the only thing I absolutely do not it with my braces. I'm terrified of getting that one part of the corner stuck in my gums. >_< If I am in a situation where I get popcorn, I just like it melt in my mouth and swallow, hahah. I don't completely bite any of it. That's one thing I'm gonna be eating like crazy when I get my braces off, for sure! For drinks like soda and stuff, I usually use a straw. But I have just drank it like normal people do. :P I also don't eat super crunchy chip things, unless I let them somewhat melt first. And for apples, as in whole apples, I don't bite into them. I know this is gross but when I get an apple and I don't have any cutting tools, I pick some of the apple with my nails and then slowly some how manage to eat the apple with only my tips of my teeth, not completely biting with full force that my brackets would completely bite in the apple. The things I do to eat food. geez

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

There are no hard and fast rules with what you can/cannot eat with braces on. The guidelines given are very general. Here's a blog entry I wrote last year about eating with braces.

[Lillaree]

Breaking my habit of chewing ice is gonna be hard, I've been chewing it since I was 2yrs old.

[lightskinnnn38]

I have eaten a lot of pizza, pasta, and ketchup (I LOVE KETCHUP!) since braces, and none of those have stained my power chains. The only one I have noticed was mustard.

[abbaker]

Right, mustard stains a bit. If you want to avoid really obvious staining may I suggest getting a coloured powerchain? I've had hot pink chains for a few months and you can hardly notice staining.

[lightskinnnn38]

@abbaker They always ask me what color I want. I'll be staring at the pink ones but then I always cave in and pick clear or white! LOL. Pink looks great on everyone else I've seen, but I feel like it would really stand out in my mouth. I'm just a wuss

[Lillaree]

May I ask what a powerchain is?

[lightskinnnn38]

It's a chain of ligatures (rubberbands) that goes across your brackets used to close up gaps. There are tons of pictures on Google.

[BraceFace23]

currry i always avoid that turns my blue ligatures green xD

[acat29020]

I never worried about anything staining my braces... but i usually did not have clear bands. The thing i always avoided was popcorn and chewy stuff (like sour patch kids). Don't worry... it will be over soon and then you can eat whatever you want!

[BlondeAddiction]

The list is pretty long of what you "can't" eat. Notice the quotes on that one? Lol. I'm pretty good though, I tell people that I can't eat anything "between aisles 3 through 9 at the Grocery Store" lol! If its bad for you, its probably frowned upon in braces. Heh. Anything chewy, crispy, crunchy etc. I watch what I eat and work out 2hrs a day so it doesn't bother me as much as it would a "snacker". Tortilla chips are one of the things I miss because I love mexican food and that initial chips and salsa bowl they bring you is such a TEASE! Lol!

Oh, and in regards to "foods that stain", I have not had a single issue. I was super cautious at first cuz I LOVE Corndogs with TONS of Mustard, and I started eating them plain. One day I took the plunge and nothin! I have 3M Smartclips in the clear (Clarity) and not even the slightest tinge of yellow. Now on the flipside... I brush my teeth after every meal or snack. Immediately. I brush at restaurants, movie theatres, fast food places, walmart LOL...any time I eat or drink somethin other than water. That may be how I bypass stains. Its hilarious when people look at you brushing in public restrooms because they kind of look down on me. But in all reality I took down on THEM for not having impeccible brushing habits like me LOL!

[Pringles]

Baha. Least your keeping your teeth clean!

Im probably repeating a lot of whats already been said but as someone who has the clear brackets and always picks the less obvious colors i gotta say sauces like ketchup and bbq really do stain now that im in power chains.
I usually try to keep the sauce away from touching my braces too (where i can).

Just remember to always use a straw especially if you drink fizzy stuff. Over time it really can ruin that final result!


If staining is a problem for you but you dont want those bright colours i recommend the silver/grey elastics


Good luck!