Eating With Braces
During orthodontic treatment, it’s important to be mindful of the foods you eat to help protect your braces and keep treatment progressing as planned. Hard, sticky, crunchy, and chewy foods can damage brackets, wires, and other orthodontic appliances and should generally be avoided.
Choosing braces-friendly foods and cutting foods into smaller, manageable pieces can help prevent broken brackets or wires. Taking good care of your braces helps avoid unnecessary repairs and potential delays in treatment.
Foods to Avoid With Braces
To protect your braces and avoid broken brackets or wires, please avoid foods that are hard, sticky, crunchy, or excessively chewy, including:
Hard Foods
- Ice
- Nuts
- Hard candies
- Popcorn kernels
- Hard pretzels
- Hard pizza crust
- Raw carrots
- Whole apples
- Corn on the cob
Sticky & Chewy Foods
- Caramels
- Taffy
- Gummy candies
- Chewy candy
- Licorice
- Bubble gum and chewing gum
Crunchy Foods
- Chips
- Hard taco shells
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Hard crackers
- Certain granola bars
Other Things to Avoid
- Biting directly into whole apples, carrots, or other hard fruits and vegetables
- Chewing on pens, pencils, fingernails, or other hard objects
Tip: You don’t have to give up all of your favorite foods! Many foods can be enjoyed by cutting them into small pieces and chewing them with your back teeth. When in doubt, ask our orthodontic team if a particular food is braces-friendly.