Foods To Avoid With Braces

Have you ever wondered “what foods should I avoid with braces?”. There are many things you can eat, but there are also some foods to avoid with braces.

For adults and teens, that means steering clear of certain foods that could cause all types of problems for your braces and could even slow down your treatment!

Here are a few foods to avoid while wearing braces.

What Foods Should I Avoid with Braces?

We know you will miss some of these delicious treats, but they pose a serious threat to your braces. Just think of how much better they will taste when you’re eating them with a dazzling smile! For now, stay away from:

Not only will you have the urge to bite into hard candy, instead of just sucking on it, the sugar in most hard candies is not good for your teeth and can break your brackets and wires.

Eating jerky forces you to tear into this rubbery treat which is a bad idea for braces wearers.

We know how popular taffy is in Salt Lake City, but avoid it and other sticky candy at all costs.These can stick to your brackets and pull them away from your teeth. Sticky candies can wedge themselves under your braces where they’re hard to remove.

Many of our teens and adult braces wearers are used to being able to crunch up ice cubes. Ice is so hard that it can break off your wires and displace brackets from your teeth. It can also crack your teeth! So chewing ice is a habit that should go, braces or not.

Similar to beef jerky, these types of bread are difficult to chew and put extra strain on your braces. Cut pizza crust and bagels into small pieces and chew carefully.

You might think of this snack as light, fluffy, and harmless. However, the light puffy part of the corn is usually accompanied by the hulls of the kernels and they can get caught in your braces. If you can find popcorn without the hulls, go for it. If not, avoid popcorn while you have your braces.

Nuts can also damage braces and wires because they are crunchy and can get caught between the wires.

Chewing gum can be a hard habit to break, but gum can get stuck in your braces and wires. Even your toothbrush might not scrub it away and you are left with trying to pick it out with your fingers or tweezers.

Both corn chips and hard pretzels can break a bracket or get stuck between your braces and teeth. Wait until you have your braces removed before you indulge in Doritos or pretzels.

Again the hardness of the cookie should dictate whether you can eat it with braces. If it doesn’t bend, skip it.

Corn OFF the cob is great, corn ON the cob is not. Eating it on the cob may cause your braces to break.

Biting into an apple can pose huge problems for people with braces. If you want to enjoy an apple, cut it up first.

Take Special Care With These Foods

Your Utah Orthodontic Care staff also warns all patients to avoid biting into hard foods with your front teeth. Fruits, raw veggies, hard breads, and other hard foods should be cut or broken up before you try to eat them. When possible, cut up these hard foods into smaller pieces:

  • Raw vegetables
  • Croutons
  • French/Italian bread
  • Fruit
  • Hard rolls
  • Thin crust pizza
  • Meat
  • Burgers
  • Sub sandwiches
person cutting up raw vegetables

Perfect Braces-Friendly Snacks

By now, you are probably thinking there are no foods left in the state of Utah for you to enjoy with braces! Not true. There are still many delicious food options; some of our soft, flavorful snack options include:

  • Yogurt
  • Cheese
  • Peanut Butter & Jelly
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Hulless popcorn
  • Bananas, grapes, oranges, strawberries, and other fruits without pits
  • Light crackers or cookies
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Ravioli, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and other noodle dishes

What Our Patients Say About Us

Our customers love our service! Here are some of their glowing reviews:

“This clinic is AWESOME! Everyone is so friendly and the doctor is great! I’m happy with my teeth and you really can’t beat the price! Great services and low pricing! I would recommend everyone to come here! Also they are always doing patient appreciation events that are so fun! Bring your kids, your spouse, your friends, your neighbors, BRING EVERYONE!”

– Ana R.

“Great orthodontics! I got my braces at UOC and they’ve been so amazing! First appointment is free, they’ll evaluate your teeth and talk to you about braces option options and prices/ plans.My dental insurance did not cover braces for adults ( I chose not to when I made my plan ) and even if I switched my plan I don’t think it would be a nice affordable plan like UOC offered me with monthly payments … I’m happy with them! They were always nice, friendly and flexible with schedules! Recommend it 100%!”

– Denise A.

“I love this office. The doctor is fun with the kids, very friendly and approachable. The staff is typically very easy to work with and any time we have any question or concern they have been quick to make it right with us. We had a billing hiccup and Lauren was incredibly understanding and made the process to fix it easy. As a lower income family with multiple kids needing orthodontic work, this has been a huge weight off my shoulders. I cannot recommend them enough.”

– Stephanie Carsten

“This clinic is AWESOME! Everyone is so friendly and the doctor is great! I’m happy with my teeth and you really can’t beat the price! Great services and low pricing! I would recommend everyone to come here! Also they are always doing patient appreciation events that are so fun! Bring your kids, your spouse, your friends, your neighbors, BRING EVERYONE!”

– Ana R.

“Great orthodontics! I got my braces at UOC and they’ve been so amazing! First appointment is free, they’ll evaluate your teeth and talk to you about braces option options and prices/ plans. My dental insurance did not cover braces for adults ( I chose not to when I made my plan ) and even if I switched my plan I don’t think it would be a nice affordable plan like UOC offered me with monthly payments … I’m happy with them! They were always nice, friendly and flexible with schedules! Recommend it 100%!”

– Denise A.

“I love this office. The doctor is fun with the kids, very friendly and approachable. The staff is typically very easy to work with and any time we have any question or concern they have been quick to make it right with us. We had a billing hiccup and Lauren was incredibly understanding and made the process to fix it easy. As a lower income family with multiple kids needing orthodontic work, this has been a huge weight off my shoulders. I cannot recommend them enough.”

– Stephanie Carsten

When in Doubt, Cut it Out!

Eating healthy, nutritious foods is as important for oral health as it is for overall health. The healthier your body is, the better the results of your treatment; because it provides essential nutrients to bones & tissues that are undergoing significant change.

If you’re still thinking about getting braces, we also offer orthodontic financing and low monthly payments so getting braces is more affordable than ever!

If you have any questions about what foods you can eat with braces, call your nearest Utah Orthodontic Care location at (801) 999-4431. You can also use the convenient form on our contact page to schedule a free consultation.