What can you easily eat with fixed braces?
At the beginning of the treatment with fixed braces for you or your child, you may initially feel that the choice of everyday food is now severely limited.
We will discuss all the critical questions and points regarding nutrition when the brackets and metal wires are attached.
We explain to you how foods can damage the fixed braces and which are simply unpleasant to eat.
What can you quickly eat with fixed braces?
You or your child can prefer to eat soft foods. These are more suitable in the sensitive first days, and they generally minimize the risk of damage to the fixed braces.
In addition, less food remains in the brackets so that dental care is made easier with the fixed braces. The following dishes, for example, are very suitable:
- Soft boiled vegetables
- Mashed potatoes or vegetables
- Soft cheese
- yogurt
- Soup
- Soft, cooked, or fried meat
- Fish without bones
- pasta
- Soft bread without a hard crust
- Eggs
- Bananas
Eating with fixed braces?
You or your child should avoid certain foods with fixed braces. Otherwise, the braces can be damaged. Hard, sticky, grainy, or chewy food can damage the brackets and metal wires. You or your child should adjust their eating habits slightly to maintain the fixed braces.
In general, there is always the risk that the brackets will not be able to withstand the load if you bite hard and that they will break or become detached from the tooth. Bear in mind that damage to the orthodontic appliance is usually associated with an increase in the duration of treatment.
Change your eating habits with brackets?
To protect the fixed braces and, above all, the hold of the brackets, you do not necessarily have to do without everything. Most foods you would usually bite into but are too complicated or challenging for the braces can easily be cut into bite-sized pieces.
In this way, you can simply chew the chopped meal on your molars without risking damaging the braces by biting it off.
Eating with fixed braces for the first few days?
Usually, the attachment of the brackets and wire elements of the fixed braces to the teeth creates pressure. You or your child will then find it uncomfortable to eat and chew food in the usual way.
We recommend that you only use soft or liquid foods that do not have to be chewed, especially during this familiarization period. Eat vegetable puree, soups, or yogurt to avoid unnecessary additional stress on the teeth.
What should you not eat with fixed braces?
With fixed braces, you should avoid tough and chewing-intensive food, as this can damage the brackets and be uncomfortable in the first few days.
In addition to hard foods, you should also avoid chewy, sticky, or fibrous foods. Not eating the following dishes (among others) can make eating with fixed braces more pleasant and also simplify dental care significantly:
- nuts
- Grain kernels or flakes
- Hard bread crust
- Hard fruits like apples or pears
- Fibrous fruits like pineapple or mango
- Hard, raw vegetables like carrots or kohlrabi
- spinach
- caramel
- licorice
- chewing gum
Further practical advice for a diet with fixed braces?
Without a slight change in eating habits, you or your child can risk damaging the fixed braces, and the need for dental care with the fixed braces will increase unnecessarily. In general, the following tips can make eating easier with brackets & Co.:
- Cut hard food into small pieces
- Chew with your molars
- Eat small bites slowly
- Drink a lot while eating
- Brush your teeth after every meal
- Use dental floss daily
It's all a matter of routine?
At first glance, the necessary changes when eating with fixed braces seem very far-reaching. However, you or your child will find that you do not have to forego the quality of life you are used to as soon as the change has become a daily routine.
As a motivation, always keep in mind that you will reach the treatment goal faster, more effectively, and healthily and achieve a radiant smile with beautiful, straight teeth.
All information and articles available on this site are for educational purposes only. The information given here should not be used without any expert advice for the diagnosis or treatment of any health related problem or disease. Always seek the advice of a qualified doctor for medical examination and treatment.