Learn about what foods to avoid with braces.

Eating With Braces

There are certain foods that are important to avoid when you have braces. Generally speaking, you'll want to avoid foods that are sticky, particularly hard or chewy. Avoiding these types of foods will help prevent damage to your braces' wires, brackets and rubber bands and save you an emergency trip to the office to repair them. Below are a few examples of foods you'll want to avoid to keep your treatment on track, as well as a few of our favorite braces friendly options. 

Some Foods to Avoid with Braces

Sticky, chewy foods such as:

• Caramels
• Taffy
• Chewy candies like gummy bears or Starburst
• Bubble gum

Hard, crunchy food such as:

• Hard pretzels
• Popcorn
• Crispy tortillas and tortilla chips
• Ice
• Hard candy such as lollipops and Jolly Ranchers
• Crispy pizza crusts
• Bagels
• Breads with a thick crust
• Whole apples

Some worry free braces snacks:

• Yogurt 
• Soft serve ice cream and milkshakes
• Soft fruits such as bananas, strawberries, and other fruits without pits
• Mashed potatoes 
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Pasta, ravioli, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and other noodle dishes

Make it bite sized! 
Some foods can be safely eaten with a little preparation and caution.  

• Some raw fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, carrots and celery can damage braces when bit into whole. Cut them into slices or pieces for a healthy braces friendly snack.
• While you should avoid eating meat off of the bone, you can still enjoy BBQ favorites such as chicken wings and ribs. Be sure to first cut them off the bone into small, bite sized pieces.
• Corn on the cob can present problems with braces, but you cut the kernels of the cob.
• Crispy, thin crust pizza can damage braces but pizza with a slightly softer crust can be a good option. To make it more braces friendly, cut it into small bite sized pieces first. To be safe you might want to still avoid the crust.