Eating and Braces

Protect your braces by avoiding the foods mentioned below. Loose braces or bands are not only uncomfortable but also delay treatment.

Examples of Things You Cannot Eat or Chew:

• Ice - A thousand times NO! It will totally destroy your braces.
• Pizza Crust - The hard crust bends wires.
• Hard Pretzels - Bends wires, loosens bands, knocks off brackets.
• Doritos, Tacos, Tostitos, Cheetos, Fritos and the like - Will form a hard ball and break your braces.
• Caramel, Candy, Bubble Gum - Sticky goo which pulls off wires and feeds the bacteria in your mouth.
• Hard Rolls, Bagels, Bones - Bends the wire and knocks off brackets.
• Beef Jerky - Tough as nails.
• Suckers - You might weaken and bite.
• Nuts - No nuts of any kind.
• Ribs - Knocks off brackets.
• Pens and Pencils - Favorite exam time food, breaks everything.
• Popcorn - The little shells get between the gum and band - hurts like crazy.
• Raw Carrots - Hard as rocks.

Eating these foods will loosen the braces, but you may not discover the problem until hours or days later...Surprise! Loose bands, broken wires, and detached brackets cause a longer treatment time.

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