When you first get your braces, you are in for a learning curve and one of the first things that springs to mind is what you can and can’t eat with them on. It is one of those super practical questions that is going to have a big impact on your life, right from day one. So it makes sense to get the lowdown on what to expect before you even sit down in that chair for your first appointment at Mistry Dental. Teeth whitening safely removes stains to reveal a brighter, more radiant smile. Professional whitening delivers results that over-the-counter products cannot match. It’s a simple way to refresh your confidence.

At Mistry Dental we always make sure to go over the food guidelines with our patients right off the bat because what you eat has a pretty direct effect on how well your treatment goes. Some foods can bend wires, pop brackets off your teeth, or get so stuck in your braces that cleaning them out becomes a real pain. And if that happens, it is going to slow down your treatment and mean more visits to the dentist, not what you want to hear. OraVital® treatment targets the bacteria responsible for bad breath and gum disease. It offers a non-invasive approach to improving oral health and freshness. This scientifically advanced system helps patients maintain a cleaner, healthier mouth.

First off, you really need to steer clear of hard foods. Biting into things like hard candies, almonds, raw carrots, crusty bread and hard pretzels puts way too much strain on those brackets and wires. And to be honest, even some foods that seem pretty innocuous, like biting into a whole apple, can be a problem. But chopping it up into smaller bits makes it a whole lot safer to eat.

Sticky foods are basically just as bad as hard foods. Chewy treats like chewing gum, caramel, toffee, gummy candies and others tend to get stuck on brackets and wires in all sorts of tight spots, and getting them out can be a real challenge. They can also pull on your hardware and make things that should stay put start to come loose. At Mistry Dental we tell our patients in Mississauga to give those kinds of snacks a wide berth for the whole time they are getting treatment.

And then there are sugary foods and drinks. With braces you give sugar loads of places to hide and stick to, which means you are a lot more likely to end up with plaque and tooth decay. Our advice is to cut down on stuff like sodas, juices and sweetened coffees, because the sugar in them can cause problems with your teeth and the acid in them can wear down the enamel over time. Water is always the safest bet when you have got braces.

At Mistry Dental we also tell our patients that popcorn is one of those foods that can be a bit tricky to eat with braces on. The hard, unpopped kernels are a common reason for brackets to break, and the popcorn hulls love to sneak under your wires and sit against your gumline, where they are a real pain to get rid of with just brushing.

So what can you eat if you live in Mississauga and you have got braces? The good news is that you can still eat a lot of things. Soft meals like pasta, rice, yogurt, eggs, soft cooked veggies, bananas and most dairy products are all fair game. You don’t have to think that you are stuck with a super limited diet. It is more about making some better choices and figuring out how to cook certain foods differently.

The changes you make to your diet while you are getting treatment may be temporary, but the reward is definitely worth it, a straight, healthy smile at the end of it all. We are always happy to help you figure out how to enjoy your favourite foods while you are getting braces. So don’t be afraid to ask us any questions you have got about eating with braces.