Eating Right with Braces

There are some foods that should be limited or avoided while you are wearing braces. Soon, you’ll be enjoying all of your favorite foods again, but for now it’s important that you make the choices that are good for your body and safe for your braces.

Avoid these foods with braces:

Chewy foods like bagels and licorice
Crunchy foods like popcorn, chips, or ice
Sticky foods like caramel candies and chewing gum
Hard foods like nuts or hard candies
Foods that you must bite directly into like corn on the cob, apples, and carrots

Enjoy these foods with braces:

Dairy products like soft cheese, pudding, and milk-based drinks
Breads and grains like soft tortillas, pasta, pancakes, rice, or muffins without nuts
Meats and poultry like chicken, meatballs, or lunch meats
Seafood like tuna, salmon, or crab cakes
Vegetables like mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, or beans
Fruits like applesauce, bananas, or fruit juices
Treats like ice cream, milkshakes, Jell-O, or cake

More Tips for Your Life with Braces

Don’t worry about teeth that feel a little loose; it’s perfectly normal! Your teeth must first loosen before they can be moved into the right position. As your treatment progresses and your teeth are aligned, they will no longer feel loose.

Always wear a mouthguard if you play sports for the protection of your teeth and your braces. We can help you to select the right mouthguard for the proper protection. If you suffer a sports emergency, check your teeth, lips, tongue, and braces for damage. If your teeth or braces have been damaged, contact our office as soon as possible.

Keep your appliances in good condition to maintain good progress. Also, follow our instructions to the best of your ability by consistently wearing your headgear, rubber bands, retainer, and other appliances.

For more insight and advice on life with braces, contact our office today.

Dear Fleming Orthodontics Family,

I hope and pray you and your loved ones are doing well and staying safe during this difficult and uncertain time. I wanted to reach out and update you on how we are addressing concerns and doing what we can to combat the spread of COVID-19.

As always we take infection control extremely seriously. In fact, the same protocols that we already have in place meet and exceed the American Dental Association and OSHA standards for infection control. However, due to the recent COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to TEMPORARILY CLOSE for the next few weeks to protect the health and safety of our patients and community. This is the recommendation of the American Dental Association (ADA), the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), and the White House to postpone any elective dentistry at this time. Honest, ethical, high-quality care has always been our top priority and we will continue to keep you informed over the following weeks. What this means for you is that if you were scheduled for an appointment in the next few weeks, we will be calling to reschedule you a little further out. During this time dental emergencies may arise and we are here to help you in any way we can. Please leave a message with our office. We will check our messages frequently in order to get back to you as soon as possible.

I am grateful to serve as your orthodontist and do not take the trust you’ve place in us lightly. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any other questions you may have.

Life With Braces