What Not To Eat

---

It is important to be careful of what you eat when you have braces.  Eating the wrong things can damage your braces or break them or the wire.  Any time something breaks it can set your treatment back, and no one wants to have braces any longer than required.  So watch what you eat.

Here is a list of foods to avoid:

Hard Foods 

• Apples and carrots (unless cooked or cut into small pieces)
• Ice- Never chew ice
• Hard Candy (ex. Peanut brittle)
• Popcorn
• Whole Bagels
• Jerky
• French bread (unless cut into small pieces)
• Pizza Crust
• Hard Pretzels
• Corn Chips, including Doritos
• Nuts
• Corn on the cob (cut it off the cob)

Soft Foods

• Taffy, especially Now and Laters
• Caramel
• Gummy Bears
• Gum (sugarless gum can be chewed in small quantities, if it contains xylitol)

Sugary/Highly Acidic Foods- minimize intake of these and rinse with water afterwards

• Soda or Pop (including Diet and Zero calorie)
• Gatorade and other sport drinks
• Fruit Juices
• Lemons

Anything high in sugar or acid increases the likelihood of white spots or cavities.