Here at Quad City Orthodontics, we are dedicated to the health of your mouth.

When you are wearing braces, it is very important to care for them properly. Proper care includes being careful about what you eat so that you don’t break your braces. Common sense should tell you what to avoid, but it can be hard to tell sometimes.

Sticky Foods

Sticky foods should be avoided because they can easily get caught in your braces. You should also try to avoid as much sugary food as possible. Since it can be harder to keep your teeth cleaned properly, sugary foods will just cause more tooth decay and other problems.

When it comes to sticky foods, you need to avoid gum at all costs, along with sugar daddies, toffee, caramels, and much more. Licorice, tootsie rolls, and even Starburst candies can cause damage.

Sugary Foods or Drinks

Sugary foods include cookies, cake, ice cream, and candy.  The sugar is these foods causes plaque on teeth to make more acid which can start cavities or permanent white marks on teeth called decalcification.  These marks are 100% preventable with good cleaning and careful food selection.

Sugary drinks such as Gatorade, Propel, soda, or sweet tea also have acid that can dissolve tooth structure.  Keeping teeth cleaning and minimizing acidic drinks will help protect the teeth and avoid permanent white marks around braces.

Hard Foods

You want to avoid foods that are hard so that they don’t damage your braces.

Hard foods include nuts, ice, and chips. Hard bread and rolls, along with bagels, should be avoided. It can be hard to eat fruits like apples unless you cut them. Uncooked carrots can cause some damage too as can corn on the cob.

You should also avoid chewing on things, because that can also break your braces. Chewing on pens, pencils, and other things needs to be stopped. Nail biting can also be hard on your braces.

Sugar Free gum is ok to chew with braces on.  It can actually help make teeth feel better sooner and help clean the teeth as you chew.

When you have braces, you need to check them regularly for loose wires and brackets. If you notice that something is broken, please let us know so we can schedule extra time to repair the braces.

If you have any questions about the foods you need to avoid, don’t hesitate to contact us today at (563) 332-5671 (Bettendorf) or (309) 786-7782 (Rock Island).