Foods to Avoid

Your smile will thank you for what you eat

While wearing braces, avoid eating hard foods, sticky foods and foods high in sugar. Hard foods break or damage wires and brackets, and sticky foods get caught between wires and brackets. Minimize sugary foods as sugar causes tooth decay and other problems.

Examples of sticky foods to avoid:candy.png

  • Gum (sugar-free or regular)
  • Licorice
  • Sugar Daddies
  • Toffee
  • Gummy bears
  • Caramels
  • Starburst

Examples of hard foods to avoid:apple.png

  • Ice
  • Nuts
  • Hard taco shells
  • French bread crust/rolls
  • Corn on the cob
  • Apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
  • Bagels
  • Chips
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Pizza crust
  • Uncooked carrots (unless cut)

Minimize sugary foods:ice-cream.png

  • Cake
  • Ice Cream
  • Cookies
  • Pie
  • Candy

Only once a day:cup.png

  • Soda
  • Sweetened tea
  • Gatorade
  • Kool-Aid
  • Drinks with sugar

We encourage patients to quit bad habits, such as fingernail biting, pencil and pen chewing and chewing on foreign objects. All of these activities can break or damage your braces.

It's important to regularly check your braces for bent or loose wires and brackets. If you have a loose/broken wire or bracket, call our office immediately.