The answer is most certainly yes!
What can I eat?
You should try and avoid hard and chewy foods that can potentially become stuck in the brackets (or even damage) the brackets of your brace. If you do damage your brace, you should contact us immediately, as this could jeopardise your treatment.
Types of hard foods to avoid:
- Hard and stodgy breads.
Apply caution when eating:
- Corn on the cob.
- Sugary carbonated drinks.
- Certain types of cereal.
- High acid foods (see below).
- Alcohol (wine in particular)
- Hard confectionary.
Red wine is a particularly harmful one for braces as it contains tannins which is the pigment responsible for the red stains you will notice appear on your teeth after drinking red wine. This staining is corrosive and will wear down the protective enamel coating on your teeth.
You must also try not bite pencils, your fingernails and avoid ice. Try to go for low acid foods with a ph greater than 4.5 – ask you orthodontist about this if you are unsure. Examples of low acid foods include bananas, soups, melons, poultry, vegetables, seafood and eggs. If you are a keen muesli fan, try swapping this for porridge as the texture is less of a strain on your braces.
The foods you eat during your treatment will also have a significant impact upon your dental hygiene. Fixed braces can make it very challenging to maintain good oral hygiene and you will need to make more of an effort in this area whilst wearing braces. If you fail to brush correctly when your braces are fixed, food particles will become lodged in between your teeth and potentially cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Here at Park Lane we offer removable brace options which make it easier to clean your teeth throughout the treatment period. If you feel you may not have the discipline to put in the extra time brushing (required for fixed options) then a removable brace may be a more viable option for you. Your orthodontist can talk this through with you.
If you would like more information about how to keep your teeth healthy during your orthodontic treatment period, please do not hesitate to contact us.