Six Best Foods For Orthodontic Braces
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Food Restrictions for Fixed Braces
Orthodontic braces treatment can completely transform your smile – both for teenagers and adults in London. The treatment can last anywhere between 6-8 months to over a year. On completion, not only will your teeth look different when you smile, you will likely also notice that your teeth and your bite isn’t the same as what it was before, changing the way you chew food. As your treatment commences and your teeth start to gradually move towards their straightened positions, your mouth and bite will adapt to chewing and biting in a more natural manner. To help with your treatment and to improve its effectiveness, your orthodontist will advise you on what food items to avoid during treatment and what foods are considered safe. These food restrictions will continue over the course of your orthodontic teeth straightening journey.
Our team at Whites Dental wants to help you make your braces treatment journey as comfortable as possible as we are both travelling in this journey together for many months to come. We have provided some tips below on how to make your journey easier to cope with the food restriction challenges that often come up with orthodontic braces. We have provided a list of food items to eat while wearing braces. Please keep reading to know what these food items are.
Six Best Foods For Orthodontic Braces
Yogurt – Yogurts are high in protein and calcium. Plain yogurts that include no added sugars are a great supplement to maintain healthy and strong teeth. Yogurts also have the added benefit of giving your body a boost of beneficial bacteria; this can benefit your gums as the good bacteria is able to crowd out the bad bacteria that causes tooth decay and cavities. Yogurt mixed with a combination of soft fruits can be a perfect snack, especially at a time when your teeth might be sore as it requires little to no chewing. However, please ensure that you brush your teeth after you finish the yogurt. Even simple plain yogurt has a bit of naturally occurring sugars in it.
Chicken noodle soup – Chicken noodle soup is the perfect comfort food according to us. We can’t think of a more perfect comfort food. It’s perfect not just for sick days, but for new braces and aching mouths as well. Homemade chicken soup is even more helpful as the soup broth is full of minerals, collagen and gelatin, all of these elements are needed for strong bones and teeth. D vitamins can help to improve your healing rate and slurping down your soup provides your teeth and jaws a break from chewing. Missing some carbohydrates? You can soak some crackers or bread in your soup, making the crackers / bread soft thus making it easier for your braces to handle.
Sweet potato or mashed potato – If you want to have something a little more substantial that chicken noodle soup, but that’s still soft enough to eat with your braces on, especially when your jaw and teeth are sore – the humble sweet potatoes can be the answer.
Sweet potatoes pack a whole lot of vitamin A, which is very helpful to maintain healthy gums and teeth. Vitamin A helps with maintaining the soft tissues and mucous membrane of the gums, as well as the keratin (a protein) that encourages the formation of your tooth’s enamel. You can prepare sweet potatoes in a number of ways – you could bake, mash, fry, boil or even steam these little beauties to make a delicious snack or side dish for your meals.
Fish – Eating pork, beef and sometimes even chicken can often be a little difficult especially if putting pressure causes pain to your teeth and gums. Fish can be an amazing alternative. Scientists in Harvard have linked omega-3 fatty acids found in fish with less risk of gum disease as omega-3s help to naturally reduce the sort of inflammation that can occur when bacteria irritates your gums. Fatty fishes like Atlantic mackerel and Salmon are very good sources of vitamin D. Vitamin D allows the body to absorb and then use calcium more effectively; this is absolutely critical for your oral health as calcium protects your gums and teeth from disease. And given fish is soft, you should have no trouble eating it with braces on, even when your teeth and jaw are sore.
Cooked vegetables and fruits – Raw vegetables and fruits should usually be avoided with orthodontic braces, not just at the start of your orthodontic brace treatment but over the entire duration of the treatment. This is because their crunch can sometimes cause the brackets and braces wire to come off, potentially interrupting your treatment and requiring a trip to the orthodontist. Boiling or baking the fruits and vegetables will make them soft enough to eat and will reduce the risk of damaging your braces hardware. Most vegetable and fruits contain a whole lot of antioxidants and vitamins (especially C vitamins), which help protect your gums and soft tissue from bacterial infection and cell damage. Leafy green veggies are known to contain a lot of folic acid, which helps to promote healthy teeth and gums, and also supports growth of cells through the entire body. You can certainly eat leafy veggies raw in your salad or side dish if that’s how you prefer to have it. Try to put a rainbow coloured selection of soft fruits and veggies on your plate regularly in order to get the most out of what you eat during your braces treatment.
Eggs – Eggs are usually seen as a source of proteins; however, they are rich in phosphorus. When you combine eggs with vitamin D and calcium, phosphorus helps you build strong teeth and bones. Proteins help in keeping the teeth healthy, reducing the risk of tooth decay. Eggs are very versatile – you can have them boiled, scrambled or poached for breakfast, lunch or dinner or any other time between meals even. Any way you cook eggs, they are soft enough to eat even for the sorest of mouths.
Smoothies – Smoothies are perfect for days when your orthodontic braces have gotten you a bit down. They can be served in a glass on their own or even in a bowl with toppings on. They are fun to make with an endless variety of vegetables, fruits and liquids you can combine together to ensure they are never boring. They are full of minerals and vitamins, proving you with a good source of essential nutrients and they are smooth in texture thus helping sooth any oral discomfort you may have as a result of your braces.
Additional foods that are good to eat:
- Fruits such as bananas, grapes, oranges, strawberries
- Light crackers or low sugar cookies
- Cheese
- Noodle dishes such as spaghetti, ravioli and macaroni and cheese
If you are considering using fixed orthodontic braces to straighten your teeth, why not call us to book a free consults with one of our dentists. You will be able to discuss your needs with them and identify the braces option best suited to you. For more information on orthodontic braces, visit our orthodontics homepage – https://www.whitesdental.co.uk/orthodontist-teeth-straightening-london-waterloo/
At Whites Dental, we have some of London’s leading proving orthodontic braces (including fixed braces, Invisalign, Damon braces, Fastbraces, Six Month Smiles, Lingual braces and metal braces) to patients around us in Central London. We are based in London Waterloo, right next to Southwark tube station. We are also a short 10 minutes’ walk from Borough, London Bridge and Elephant and Castle.