Getting Braces? Here Are the Dietary Changes You Need to Make Now

You’ve decided to invest your time and energy in getting the perfect smile. To accomplish this goal, you’ve decided to get braces.

But remember, with great orthodontic treatment, comes great responsibility. Along with visiting the orthodontist regularly and taking care of your oral hygiene, you’re going to have to make major changes in your diet. 

Yes, you heard that right. You’re going to have to give up on some of your favourite foods since there are a few foods that can be damaging when you have braces. There will be a vast change in your diet before and after braces. 

While you can get back on a diet of regular food after you get comfortable with your braces, certain foods are going to be on the ‘no’ list till your braces come off, so it’s best you enjoy these foods before your metal wires come on. 

Here are a few foods that you shouldn’t be salivating after you get braces: 

• Chewy food: Beef jerky, bagels, and other forms of crusty bread like pizza crusts, taffy
• Hard Food: Nuts, seeds, hard candy, popcorn, chips
• Sticky Food: Caramel, chewing gum
• Sugary Food: Carbonated water, sugary drinks, tea, coffee

Eating these foods when you have braces might be tempting, but these foods are likely to get stuck in your metal wires and cause problems like popping the metal brackets open or bending the wires. 

Eating these foods can also form plaque that coats the teeth, and ultimately cause tooth decay if you don’t take care of your oral hygiene properly. 

The first few weeks after getting braces, you’re going to have to consume soft foods that will not get stuck in your metal braces and wires. You’ll also have to make sure you are eating a balanced diet when you have braces, so make sure you include foods that you don’t have to chew on very much like mashed potatoes or soup. 

Here are a few suggestions for the sort of foods you can eat to make your life with braces easier:

• You can have smoothies or eggs, yoghurt, and oatmeal for breakfast. 
• Lunch can consist of sandwiches or salads without nuts that don’t need a lot of chewing. 
• For dinner, you can either have leaner protein like boiled fish or chicken, or tofu or cottage cheese if you are a vegetarian. 
• You can also consume foods that you usually can’t consume after preparing them in a braces-friendly style of cooking. You can eat raw carrots, which in its whole form are not suitable, by cutting them into thin slices. You can similarly eat fruits like apples and pears by slicing them thinly. Other raw vegetables can be consumed after slicing them thinly or boiling them. 

You should consult a dietician if you need help in understanding what sort of food you need to include in your diet when you have braces so that you’re getting all the nutrition you need. A healthy diet means a healthier you, which is a big boon in helping your braces treatment. 

Other Lifestyle Changes You Need To Make

You’ll also have to make sure you are following a routine that incorporates strict oral hygiene after you get braces. You might spend a little more time on your oral hygiene with braces than you did before you had braces. You need to make sure you clean the metal brackets of your braces properly when you brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste. You also need to floss two times a day and rinse with a mouthwash. 

Moreover, you will have to be extra cautious when participating in activities that may end up breaking your braces. For example, when playing sports, a sharp blow to the mouth can cause the wires to break or brackets to come off. Similarly, you should not use your teeth as tools if you wear braces. For example, removing tight lids or opening tightly closed bottles using teeth can damage your braces and even cause a chipped tooth. 

Make sure you treat your braces with care because any damage to the wires, brackets can lengthen the treatment period. Incorporating these little changes in your lifestyle will mean that you will be able to enjoy the benefits of a perfect smile when your treatment is over. 

Author Bio: Sharon Williams’ day job is to handle digital marketing for Koch Orthodontics in Lawrenceville, GA. With a flair for creating compelling content that clears the clutter and connects with the audience in an instant, she writes about dental topics to educate and help her readers.

She truly believes that a genuine smile can win a million hearts and talks to her readers about improving their smiles and overall dental health, as well as enhancing their overall lifestyle. In her free time, she likes to organize small meets in her neighbourhood where she brings people together to discuss various topics that she writes about.