What Can’t You Eat with Braces

Frequent broken braces can make your treatment time longer. Make sure you follow this dietary restrictions list to ensure the smoothest orthodontic treatment at our Vacaville orthodontic office.

For the first few days, stick with soft foods such as rice, soft beans, oatmeal, yogurt, and soup.  Your mouth is getting used to your new braces and learning how to chew.  As your teeth and bite shift & your teeth get less sore, you can slowly introduce more solid foods. Visit our page about Braces Frequently Asked Questions for what to expect after braces are placed.  You can also find information about what you can do for emergencies.

• AVOID sticky, chewy foods
  • Starburst
  • Laffy Taffy
• AVOID hard foods
  • Nuts (Be careful of soft cookies with nuts inside!)
  • Ice
  • Hard chips & snacks (Eg. Takis, Doritos, Corn Nuts, hard pretzels)
  • Hard candy
  • Bubblegum
  • Granola (Cereal & Bars)
  • Pizza Crust
  • Croutons
• Cut crunchy food like these into small pieces:
  • Apples
  • Hard pears
  • Other hard fruits
• Boil crunchy food like these & cut into small pieces:
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Other hard veggies
• Cut food off the core:
  • Bone-in ribs
  • Corn-on-the-cob
  • Fruit with pits (Eg. Peaches, Nectarines, etc.)

If you are thinking about food that is not on the list, think about if it is too hard, too sticky/chewy, too crunchy, or too bulky.  Chances are it may break break your braces.  If you have any specific questions, just give us a call (707) 474-4707.