Orthodontics · 2 min read
Eating and cleaning with braces: a practical guide
Which foods to avoid, how to brush around brackets, and what to do if a wire pokes or a bracket comes loose.
Supriya Multispeciality Dental Clinic, Published
Braces work best when the brackets stay in place and the teeth and gums stay healthy. A few changes to how you eat and clean make treatment smoother and help it finish on time.
Foods to avoid or cut up
- Hard foods such as nuts, hard candy, ice and corn on the cob
- Sticky foods such as toffee, chewing gum and chikki
- Biting into whole apples or carrots — cut them into small pieces instead
- Frequent sugary drinks, which raise the risk of marks around the brackets
Brushing around brackets
Brush after meals if you can, and at least twice a day. Angle the brush to clean above and below each bracket, and use an interdental brush between the wire and the teeth. A fluoride mouthwash can help protect the enamel.
The first few days
Teeth often feel sore for a few days after braces are fitted or adjusted. Soft foods help, and orthodontic wax can be pressed onto any bracket that rubs the inside of your cheek.
If something breaks
A loose bracket or a wire that pokes isn’t usually an emergency, but contact the clinic so it can be fixed before it slows your treatment. In the meantime, cover a sharp end with wax.
This article is general information and isn’t a substitute for advice from a dentist who has examined you. Treatment suitability is determined after an in-person dental consultation.