What can I eat with a brace? Tips for eating and drinking while wearing braces

Protecting your brace and teeth from damage while on your orthodontic journey requires small but important adaptations to your diet. 

At Quayside, we are often asked what food people can or cannot eat with a brace and have outlined the advice we give, based on our years of experience, below. 

What can I eat with braces?

When you have your brace fitted you must be very careful with what you eat and drink. Braces are fragile and eating hard, sticky or crunchy foods can break the braces and damage your teeth. Broken braces result in additional visits to the practice and unnecessary delays to the length of your treatment.

Choosing foods that are softer and less chewy helps avoid breakages. Foods like soup, pasta, yoghurts, mashed potato and cheese are encouraged.  

Wearing braces doesn’t mean you can only eat these foods but the way you eat other food may need to change. Cut up food like sandwiches, apples and vegetables, rather than biting into them. 

If you really want to eat hard and crunchy foods like raw carrot, pizza crusts, nuts, biscuits, celery, chicken wings and spare ribs, make sure you cut them into small pieces and chew them on your back teeth.

Avoid sticky foods such as chewing gum or toffees for the duration of your orthodontic treatment as these get stuck in braces. 

What can I drink with braces?

When you are thirsty choose milk or unflavoured water to drink. Fizzy drinks and fruit juices are high in acid which can damage your teeth. If they are to be consumed as a treat, always use a straw and consume them at meal times.

Can you eat sugar while wearing braces?

A good balanced, healthy diet and excellent oral hygiene are very important during orthodontic treatment to maintain strong and healthy teeth. 

When you eat or drink anything, especially sugary items, the bacteria in your mouth produce plaque acid. Your teeth are then attacked by this plaque acid for up to one hour after eating or drinking sugary items. Food and plaque which are not removed may lead to nasty marks on your teeth and tooth decay. 

Think carefully about what you eat. Brushing well is more difficult with braces so avoid sugary foods while on your orthodontic journey for the health and appearance of your teeth.  

What happens if I break my brace?

If you do break your brace please contact us as soon as possible so we can mend it for you. This will help avoid prolonging your treatment any more than necessary.  

Top tips for looking after your braces and teeth

To sum up, soft foods, a good balanced diet and excellent oral hygiene are all vitally important to a successful orthodontic outcome.

Remember to:

  • Avoid crunchy, hard or sticky foods
  • Avoid fizzy drinks and fruit juice
  • Continue to visit your dentist for regular check-ups
  • Brush your teeth at least twice daily with a fluoride tooth paste 
  • Always use an orthodontic fluoride mouth wash.

Want to know more?

We at Quayside are here for you at every stage of your journey, helping ensure you get the absolute best from your braces. Get in touch if you have any questions on the topic. We are always happy to help.