3 Foods You Should Avoiding Eating While Wearing Braces

Braces are a great way to keep your teeth straight, correct jaw alignment problems, and even solve something like an overbite. There are young children who get braces, as well as people well into adulthood. Braces are by far the most effective and best way to correct problems with the teeth. But during the time that you wear braces, you need to make sure that you are protecting them so that you don't damage the wires, or your mouth. Here are some foods that you should avoid eating while you are wearing braces.

1. Caramel

Sticky foods like caramel or taffy can wreck havoc on your teeth and your braces. Your braces are too exposed to all of the stringy stickiness, and it will get stuck in between the braces and be nearly impossible to fully clean. There are people who have damaged their teeth and their braces by eating these foods while they have braces.

For instance, if a piece of taffy gets stuck in a part of the brace, without you fully realizing it, even after you brush it could still be there. The sugar is rotting away at the tooth, and discoloring the area. Then when you do get your braces off, you will have large cavities and a tooth that is discolored where the brace wasn't and white where the brace was.

2. Dehydrated Foods

Dehydrated foods can be good for the body since it is a quick and easy way to get a serving of fruits. The problem is that dehydrated foods are even harder to get off the braces than taffy or caramel. They will become wedged into the tooth and the brace and could damage the area. That is why you should not eat fruit leather or any kind of dehydrated fruit until you are finished with your treatment.

3. Hard Nuts

Lastly, beware of hard foods such as nuts while wearing braces. All it takes is one wrong angle of a bite and you have busted the wire. This can be replaced, but in the meantime, it can be painful for your mouth and slow down the process. Not to mention it could be expensive depending on the policy of your orthodontist. It is just better to eat softer foods that won't harm the wires.

As you can see, there are certain foods that you should stay away from to ensure that your braces stay healthy. Contact a company like Cobbe Dental & Orthodontics for more info.