Navigating Your Diet With Braces: Essential Tips and Avoidances
When kids get braces for the first time, they need to learn a lot about what they can and can’t eat. They usually don’t know how strong the braces are or how to take care of them properly. It’s a smart move for the orthodontist to give them a list of guidelines on what foods to avoid and what’s safe to eat, so they can revisit it whenever needed.
**Foods to Avoid with Braces:**
1. **No Gum:** Make sure they know chewing gum is off-limits the entire time they have braces.
2. **No Hard Candy:** Eating hard candy can break their braces, meaning longer treatment and possible cavities.
3. **Avoid Sugary Drinks:** These can lead to cavities under the braces.
4. **Corn on the Cob:** Teach them to cut corn off the cob before eating.
5. **Crunchy Foods:** Foods like pizza crust, bagels, or pretzels can damage braces. They should break these into small pieces and chew carefully.
6. **Hard Fruits and Vegetables:** Instead of biting into raw fruits and veggies, cut them into small pieces or cook them.
7. **Meat on the Bone:** Take meat off the bone before eating.
8. **No Chewing Ice:** Chewing ice can break braces and ruin the progress made on their teeth.
9. **Sticky Candy:** Explain that caramels and other sticky candies can harm braces and teeth.
This might seem like a lot of rules, but it’s important to balance it with positive encouragement. Remind them that following these rules will make their teeth look great when the braces come off. Encourage them to stick with it to get the best results and praise any good habits they develop to take care of their braces.
**Tips for Eating Safely with Braces:**
1. **Brush After Sugary Foods:** Highlight the importance of brushing both teeth and braces thoroughly after consuming sweets.
2. **Prevent Stains:** Explain how good cleaning habits can keep their teeth from getting stained.
3. **Flossing:** Teach them the right way to floss with braces.
4. **Use Proxy Brushes:** These tiny brushes are great for cleaning between braces. Show them how to use these from both the top and bottom to clear out food particles. Suggest repeating this for every tooth.
5. **Prepare Foods Properly:** Suggest cooking hard foods or grating fruits and veggies into small pieces.
6. **Chew with Back Teeth:** To avoid damaging braces, remind them to chew using their back teeth.
7. **Rinse with Water:** If they can’t brush right away, they can rinse their mouth with water to get rid of food particles.
By understanding these do’s and don’ts, kids will be better prepared to take care of their braces, leading to a smoother and more effective treatment process.
