Can You Eat Seafood With Braces?

The answer is yes if you’re curious whether you can eat fish with braces. Most kinds of seafood are excellent sources of essential nutrients like proteins, vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, and iron, which keep your teeth and body healthy.

Similarly, seafood is tender enough to eat and, therefore, unlikely to damage or dislodge your braces. However, you must be careful, and if possible, avoid chewing fish bones or shellfish shells. They can hurt your gums or damage your braces. Common seafood options in your diet include tuna, salmon, and shrimp.

Bite issues such as misalignments and improper teeth gaps can affect your smile and bite function and make you vulnerable to oral infections. Getting braces is an excellent way to align your bite for a straighter, healthier, and more beautiful smile.

If you’re considering or already have braces, your dentist might have advised against consuming certain foods. For instance, chewing hard foods like ice or nuts can cause your braces to break or dislodge, causing significant discomfort, oral injuries, and delaying your results.

Chewy items can get trapped around the brackets and wires, increasing your risk of oral infections and tooth discoloration. Keep reading to learn more about the foods and drinks you can eat with braces and what to avoid. Visit our Edison dentist if your braces are loose, broken, or dislodged.

Other Soft Foods to Eat With Braces

Fortunately, there are a variety of soft and nutritious foods that you can eat when wearing braces. These include:

• Soft fruits like bananas, grapefruits, and kiwis
• Soft or cooked vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and spinach
• Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, and smoothies. Avoid hard cheese or other hard milk products.
• Soft meat. If possible, go for minced meat or cut the meat into small portions or meatballs. Avoid eating meat with bone.
• Jams, apple sauce, and gelatin desserts
• Mashed potatoes
• Oatmeal
• Softly cooked beans or peas
• Stews, soups, broth, or chowders
• Properly cooked rice and pasta

Foods to avoid or limit when wearing braces

The following foods can hurt your mouth, damage your braces, or increase your risk of oral infections or discoloration when wearing braces. If possible, avoid or limit your intake of the following foods:

• Sugary and acidic items like sweets, sodas, candy, apple cider vinegar, and lemons
• Hard, chewy, and crunchy items like raw nuts, ice, popcorn, raw vegetables, hard fruits, chips, and chocolate
• Avoid bad habits like chewing nails or pens.

Since it’s easy for food particles to get trapped on the braces after eating, it’s a great idea to brush your teeth or rinse your mouth thoroughly with water to eliminate any leftover debris. It helps keep your mouth and braces clean, freshens your breath, and lowers your risk of oral infections.

Eating with Clear Aligners

Unlike traditional braces that are fixed to your teeth throughout treatment, clear aligners are removable. It means that they don’t have specific diet limitations.

You can eat or drink normally, whatever you want, as long as you remove the aligners beforehand. Then, you must brush your mouth after eating before wearing the aligners again. It helps keep your breath fresh and prevents plaque buildup, which can lead to oral infections.

However, some patients tend to experience gum or oral tenderness during the initial phase of the treatment. It’s essential to consider a soft diet to allow time for your gums to heal and prevent further discomfort. Visit our dental clinic for Invisalign in Edison.

Tips to Protect your Braces

• Clean your teeth and braces every day.
• Avoid abrasive toothbrushes and toothpaste. They can damage your braces or irritate your gums.
• Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet.
• Hydrate well. A dry mouth when wearing braces increases your risk of oral infections.
• Visit your dentist for adjustments and routine dental checkups.
• Notify your dentist immediately if your braces are ill-fitting, damaged, or cause severe discomfort.

Are You Interested in Dental Braces or Invisalign?

For more information about dental braces and Invisalign, contact KK Dental Edison.