Eating with Braces

Don’t worry; you’ll be eating popcorn and snacking on potato chips again in no time! However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances.

Foods to avoid with braces:

• Chewy foods - bagels, licorice

• Crunchy foods - popcorn, chips, ice

• Sticky foods - caramel candies, chewing gum

• Hard foods - nuts, hard candies

• Foods that require biting into - corn on the cob, apples, carrots

Foods you CAN eat with braces:

• Dairy - soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks

• Breads - soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins w/o nuts

• Grains - pasta, soft-cooked rice

• Meats/poultry - soft-cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats

• Seafood - tuna, salmon, crab cakes

• Vegetables - mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans

• Fruits - applesauce, bananas, fruit juice

• Treats - ice cream w/o nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, soft cake