Is What You’re Eating Impacting the Orthodontic Process?

When you visit local family orthodontists, they’ll tell you to watch your diet during treatment. While the devices are durable enough to move teeth slowly, the process can be affected by your food choices and practices. Read on to find out how.

Hard Food

Whether or not you should eat hard food depends on if you have clear aligners or braces. Avoid eating hard food like hard candy, nuts, popcorn, pretzels, and crunchy produce with braces because it could damage the wires. If you break a wire, you’ll have to return to the orthodontist to fix it. You can eat crunchier food with aligners, since you have to remove them prior to eating.

Sticky Food

Sticky food is a no-no with braces. They can easily get stuck in the brackets and cause damage. Hold off on your taffy and caramel until your braces come off, unless you want to spend more money and time on the repair.

Cut Up Food

In addition to swapping out foods not recommended for braces, cutting food into smaller pieces can save time on your orthodontic treatment. If you want to include certain veggies and fruit in your diet, try cutting them up in pieces and eating slowly.

Soft Food

In addition to cutting up veggies and fruits, you can get those nutrients and avoid damage by taking advantage of green smoothies. Blend your healthy items up and drink them down instead of risking damage to your device. Other good, soft foods to consume at this time include yogurt, oatmeal, soup, mashed potatoes, and more.

Aligners During Meals

Unlike braces, you’re supposed to remove your aligners for all meals and non-water drinks. If you leave them in during mealtime, it won’t be good for your teeth or the aligners. As your family orthodontists will tell you, food can get trapped and stay there for hours, until you remove the aligner for cleaning. Your Invisalign aligners consist of plastic, so hard food can warp them.

Having braces or aligners means practicing certain eating habits. The better you follow those habits, the less likely you are to damage your device and push back treatment completion. The right family orthodontists can help you through the process, and give you all the advice you need. Contact our office today for a consultation.