Eating Guidelines

HELPFUL GUIDELINES FOR EATING WITH YOUR APPLIANCES

Our goal is to provide you with a beautiful smile.  This can only be accomplished if the braces stay attached to your teeth.  As such, we ask that you watch the types of foods you eat.  Some types of foods are capable of breaking your bands or brackets, bending your wires (which can cause teeth to move in the wrong direction), or breaking the cement under your bands and brackets.  All of these things extend treatment time.

Hard Foods:

Foods that commonly cause loose bands, brackets, and broken appliances include (but are not limited to):

• Ice
• Hard edges of pizza
• Crisp French fries (soft fries are okay)
• Nuts
• All potato chips, Fritos, Doritos, etc.
• Popcorn
• Lifesavers
• Peppermint Sticks
• Carrots & apples may be eaten only in small pieces
• Corn-on-the-cob (may be eaten if sliced off the cob)
• Ribs (may be eaten if meat is sliced off the bone)
• Chicken or other meats are okay if cut into small pieces and not torn from the bone with the front teeth
• Sticky Food
• Sticky candies such as: caramels, Starburst, jelly beans, licorice, Jolly Ranchers, Sugar Daddies, etc.
• Gum
• Peanut Brittle
• Fruit Rollups

Frequent intake of sweet and/or acidic foods and drinks can increase your chances of getting white spots and cavities.  Please try to limit your intake of sugary foods and beverages to special occasions only.