By taking care of your braces, you are assisting in moving the orthodontic process along. The less our staff at Sinna Orthodontics has to repair and redo, the faster you can get your braces off! Besides general hygiene and seeing a dentist on a regular basis, there are certain foods you should avoid in order to properly care for your braces.

Avoid eating hard foods, sticky foods, and foods that are high in sugar content!

Hard foods may do damage by bending wires, loosening cement under the bands, or breaking the little brackets and tubes which are attached.

Sticky foods damage appliances by bending wires and pulling cement loose.

Foods high in sugar content should be avoided whenever possible. If you do eat any of them, brush your teeth immediately or rinse with clear water after eating if it is not convenient to brush.

Do not put pencils and pens in your mouth! If you chew on these types of writing utensils, and other similar objects, you are bound to experience some breakage or bending, which we do not want.

 

Don’t Eat Popcorn Nuts Peanut Brittle Ice (not even if you are careful) Lemons (pure lemon juice can hurt your tooth enamel) Corn-on-the-cob Taffy Caramels Gummy Bears Lifesavers, Jolly Ranchers, or other hard candy BUBBLE GUM

Maybe Carrot sticks (if you cut into carrot curls that are thin) Apples (cut into wedges; don’t bite a whole apple) Hard French Bread Diet Drinks

 If you have questions or concerns about a specific food, please feel free to call the office and we can advise you as needed. Remember: The better you take care of your braces, the more efficiently the process will proceed and you’ll be free of your braces in no time!