Foods You Can Eat With BracesReston, VA

Orthodontists work with adolescents, teens, and adults who need braces to help correct dental issues like crooked teeth, gaps, overbites, and underbites. Braces require lifestyle adjustments that include a change in eating habits. Eating the wrong things can cause food to stick to braces and damage braces.

Getting braces is an adjustment to your smile and your eating habits. Contact Precision Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry in Reston to learn more about life with braces. Call us today at (703) 391-8800 for information about our services or schedule an appointment.

Request An Appointment

Foods You Can Eat

While wearing braces, it is important to make some changes in what you eat. During the early weeks, you are adjusting to soreness and your changing bite. It may be challenging to eat some of the foods you love. Typically, it takes around a month for a patient to get used to their braces. Here are several examples of foods you can eat:

  • Applesauce, diced peaches, and sliced bananas
  • Avocadoes, cooked carrots, and cucumbers
  • Cottage cheese
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Ice cream
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Mashed and sweet potatoes
  • Meatloaf
  • Oatmeal
  • Pizza
  • Ravioli
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Smoothies
  • Yogurt

“It usually takes around two weeks to get used to your braces and to start eating normally again.”

Foods You Cannot Eat

You can still enjoy many foods while wearing braces, but some you should avoid. These foods can break appliances, bands, brackets, or wires, and this damage slows down the treatment process. The majority of damage to braces occurs on the back molars. Avoid all chewy, crunchy, gooey, and sticky foods. Examples of foods you cannot eat include:

  • Bagels
  • Caramels
  • Chunky peanut butter
  • Gum
  • Gummy bears
  • Hard candies
  • Jerky
  • Nuts
  • Popcorn
  • Potato chips
  • Taffy

“The wrong foods can break appliances, bands, brackets or wires, and this damage slows down the treatment process.”

Diet Suggestions With Braces

Meal-planning with braces does not have to involve bland or boring foods. You can eat many soft and delicious foods without damaging your braces. For example, you can eat cooked rice, soft tortillas, pasta, noodles, and soup. Other choices include soft bread that does not have a hard crust, pancakes, soft-cooked beans, soft-baked goods, and soft cheeses.

You can enjoy many snack options too. Pudding and Jell-O are obvious choices, along with milkshakes and ice cream. You can also eat blueberries, grapes, melons, oranges, and raspberries. When trying to decide whether or not food is safe to eat, avoid hard or sticky foods.

“You can eat many soft and delicious foods without damaging your braces.”

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Foods You Can Eat With Braces in Reston, VA

What to Do if Foods Cause Wear on Bands or Braces

It is critical to choose soft foods that are easy to chew when wearing braces. Damage can cause abrasions, cuts, and discomfort inside your mouth. If you do not schedule an appointment with your orthodontist to fix issues, your treatment will be less effective. Use wax to cover up sharp spots. Eating hard foods can cause wires to bend. If that happens, bands cannot adjust teeth into position. Contact your orthodontist immediately to fix the problem.

“Damage can cause abrasions, cuts, and discomfort inside your mouth.”

How to Deal With Soreness When Chewing

Braces hurt when you chew because they are pulling and pushing your teeth. You can ease the discomfort by drinking ice water or milk. Eating cold treats like ice cream or frozen yogurt can also help you deal with soreness.

If you are eating and feel sharp wires poking your mouth, orthodontic wax may provide relief. You can help prevent gum inflammation by practicing good oral hygiene. Over-the-counter pain medication can also help with pain and discomfort while chewing.

“Eating cold treats like ice cream or frozen yogurt can also help you deal with soreness.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I eat food the same way I did before getting braces?

A. The recommendation is to cut food up into smaller pieces. Doing this helps you avoid damaging your braces when biting into larger chunks of food. Eating an apple is a good example. Instead of biting directly into the whole apple, cut it down into smaller manageable pieces or slices.

Q. Do I have to stop chewing gum when I get braces?

A. Because gum sticks to the braces, the recommendation is not to chew it when wearing them. Chewing sugary gum can also cause cavities. Talk to your orthodontist about how gum can damage braces and which types are more likely to cause cavities.

Q. What do I do if a bracket comes off when I'm eating?

A. Even if you are eating safe foods with braces, brackets can still pop off accidentally. If the bracket is loose, clean around it, and try keeping it in place with wax. If it completely pops off, then remove it from the wire. In both cases, contact your orthodontist right away to either replace or re-attach the bracket.

Q. Does my orthodontist provide a list of what I can't eat with braces?

A. When you get braces, your orthodontist provides a comprehensive list of food you should avoid. They will give you a complete set of instructions on how to prevent emergency appointments or repairs. It is always recommended you avoid hard, chewy, or sticky foods.

Q. Should I make any changes to my oral hygiene routine?

A. Brushing your teeth every time you eat becomes even more important while wearing braces because the wires and brackets can trap food particles more easily. Dentists recommend you use interdental brushes and floss threaders to clean between your teeth while wearing braces.

Get the Care Your Family Deserves

By visiting us as soon as possible, our team can help get you the professional treatment you need. Instead of waiting around and allowing the symptoms to get worse, we can provide you with treatment options.

QR code image for Foods You Can Eat With Braces in Reston, VA

Scan here to view this page, Foods You Can Eat With Braces, on mobile

Navigation image for our Adult Orthodontics page
Navigation image for our Phase One Orthodontics page
Navigation image for our Pediatric Dental Practice page

Call Us Today

Keeping your teeth healthy with braces starts with knowing what you can and cannot eat. At Precision Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, we help with dietary suggestions while wearing braces. Call us today at (703) 391-8800 to for more information or schedule an appointment.

Helpful Related Links


About our business, license, and website security

  • Precision Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry was established in 2017.
  • We accept the following payment methods: American Express, Cash, Check, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
  • We serve patients from the following counties: Fairfax County and Loudoun County
  • We serve patients from the following cities: Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, Chantilly, Great Falls, Oakton, Vienna, Centreville and Tysons Corner
  • Norton Safe Web. View Details
  • Trend Micro Site Safety Center. View Details
QR code image to open directions to Precision Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry in Reston, VA on mobile

Scan here to open directions to Precision Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry on mobile

Back to top of Foods You Can Eat With Braces

QR code for Foods You Can Eat With Braces