It can be challenging to eat with dental braces in your mouth. Sticky sweets or a tough steak might dislodge brackets and wires, and biting into something hard like an apple might be quite uncomfortable. While it's good to be prepared and know what you can and can't eat it's nice to be able to enjoy your food as well, so what are the best soft foods for braces?
In the long term, braces can give you healthier teeth and a more attractive smile. However, they may make it more difficult to maintain a proper oral hygiene regimen in the short term.
Brushing and flossing are more difficult with braces, and you must be mindful of the foods you should avoid.
In this article, we'll provide you with a list of the best soft foods for braces, and we’ll also be covering:
- What can I eat with braces?
- How to eat with braces
- What to eat with braces the first week
- What sweets can you eat with braces?
There are some foods you can't eat with braces. But there's good news too! You don't have to eat soup and yoghurt for the next two years.
There are a lot of delicious foods on the menu, and we'll also give tips on how you can still eat your favourite dishes with braces. This is only general advice, so if your orthodontist has specific recommendations based on your treatment, go with their advice first.
Some good soft foods for braces are pasta, porridge, pancakes, protein shakes, smoothies, yoghurt, and soups. You can find more recommendation below in this article.
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Why can you only eat soft foods when wearing braces?
Crunchy foods may cause brace wires to bend, bands to loosen, and brackets to fall off. Food particles can also get stuck in braces, causing discomfort and perhaps tooth decay. However, that doesn't mean you can't eat hard foods, it just means you have to be careful and chew them the right way.
If you straighten teeth with aligners, your food needs will be a little different.
Foods you can eat with braces
It is important to maintain a well-balanced and nutritional diet while you have braces. This is to ensure that your teeth remain healthy and strong throughout your treatment. So, let's look at some food for braces ideas so you don't get stuck eating the same thing every day.
1. Pasta
If you're wondering what to eat while wearing braces, think about a delicious pasta dish. There are a few easy advantages to including it in your braces-friendly food list. It is soft food that is easy to consume. A portion of delicious pasta is high in complex carbs, which fill you up and give you a steady supply of energy. Pasta is also inexpensive and easily accessible.
2. Pancakes
Pancakes are a soft, warm, and fluffy delicacy. With a pancake mix from your local supermarket, you can prepare a quick meal that is soft enough for braces and sensitive teeth and gums. If you are a parent of a child with braces, you can use a cookie cutter to cut the pancakes into interesting shapes for them.
3. Oats, oatmeal, and porridge
Oatmeal is a breakfast favourite that has stood the test of time. Oats make great soft food for braces. To make a fantastic quick morning meal, add some fresh berries and cinnamon, or brown sugar and maple syrup to your oatmeal. Oatmeal is also incredibly filling, which means you'll eat less during the day.
4. Protein shakes
Protein shakes aren't just for bodybuilders. When you're on the run, a well-balanced protein shake may serve as a meal substitute. It's also quite simple to combine carbs and healthy fats in a tasty protein shake.
If you are wondering what you can eat with braces on the first day or in the first week, then this might be the answer. Using a blender, you can blitz up your protein shake with added bananas, peanut butter, and even avocado to make it more substantial.
5. Eggs
Eggs are not only very nutritional, but they're also a great soft food to eat with braces, as they don't demand a lot of chewing pressure from your aching teeth. You can prepare eggs in a variety of ways. With various cheeses, sour cream, tomatoes, or avocado on top of the eggs, you can make a nutritious breakfast to eat with braces.
6. Smoothies
Smoothies are one of the best things to consume when wearing braces. You can make them with a wide range of ingredients, so you'll never get bored.
To change the texture and taste, add fruits, vegetables, protein, vitamins, coffee, coconut milk, and other fluids. If your blender is powerful enough you can add ice cubes and blitz them up to make a nice cold drink which will help ease any pain in your mouth.
If you are wondering what to eat with braces the first week, then look no further. Smoothies make a fantastic soft food for your braces diet.
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7. Vegetables
You won't be able to eat most raw vegetables if you've just started wearing braces and your teeth are sore. Cooked vegetables are way easier to eat with braces and very nutritionally good for you. Cooked vegetables are soft enough to eat just after getting braces, but still have enough taste to be enjoyable.
8. Fish
Fish has been a staple diet for civilisations from the dawn of humanity. It has a terrific taste, is fast to cook, and is kind to teeth sore from braces. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which could potentially help reduce pain and swelling.
9. Yoghurt
Yoghurt is a great protein-rich food that you can eat during your first week of having braces. The coolness will soothe your painful teeth and gums.
10. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes not only have nutritional benefits, but they are a great soft food that you can eat while wearing braces. Bake, steam, fry, or sautée to prepare a comprehensive dinner that is tooth-friendly.
11. Soups
A warm soup is a great meal to have in your first week after getting braces. Soups come in a wide range of flavours and are simple to prepare. If you're short on time, just open a can of soup, reheat it, and you're ready to dine. Soups are a quick and easy soft food to eat with braces.
12. Soft fruits
Fruit is delicious at any time of day and with any meal. Try soft fruits like bananas, grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, or peaches. They can be delicious soft foods for braces. However, be careful with crunchy fruits like apples.
13. Ground turkey or chicken
Braces don't mean you can't eat animal protein. You can’t chew on tough meat while wearing braces, but instead, you can go for a brace-friendly option like ground chicken or ground turkey. You can still enjoy the taste and high protein content while reducing chewing pressure on your sore teeth and gums.
Soft meatballs or patties are also a fantastic way to eat ground meat while wearing braces.
14. Ice cream
Ice cream can be soothing for your painful teeth in the first week after you get braces. But because of the high levels of sugar, brush and floss your teeth after eating. Learn how to brush teeth with braces.
15. Pudding
Deserts like chocolate mousse and jelly are great soft foods to eat with braces because of their liquid texture. There are recipes for all kinds of varieties and flavours.
The following table will give you a list of foods you can eat with braces for each meal of the day:
Meal | Best food for braces |
Breakfast |
|
Lunch & dinner |
|
Snack & dessert |
|
Watch this video to get some more ideas about what you can eat when you first get your braces.
Conclusion
The first several weeks with your new braces will surely be challenging, and eating with braces won't be easy, but you need not go hungry. You can ask your orthodontist about any foods that will help you get through the tender first few weeks. Most soft foods will be easier to eat, but that doesn't mean that you can't eat hard foods altogether.
Just be careful when you chew and make sure you brush and floss your teeth afterwards. If it's not possible to clean your teeth after you eat, you can rinse your mouth out with water as best you can. Then, clean your teeth the next chance you get.
It helps to carry your toothbrush and floss with you so that you can clean any particles that get stuck in your teeth when you're eating on the go, or at work.
If you're worried about stains on your teeth when you have braces, read more about how to whiten teeth with braces.
Things will get better! You'll be able to eat most of the normal foods you love and enjoy them in no time!
If you liked this article, you can also read about the 20 foods to avoid with braces.
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