Dos and Don’ts of Summer Snacking with Braces
What’s better than a sunny beach day? A beach day with yummy summer snacks! Soaking up the sun while enjoying your favorite snacks is a peak summer experience. But deciding which foods you should grab is more complicated when you have braces. From barbecues to popsicles, let’s break down some of the Dos and Don’ts of summer snacking with braces.
The Do’s – Braces-Friendly Summer Snacking
Soft-Fruit
Watermelon, peaches, blueberries, and other fresh fruits are packed with vitamins and help hydrate you on a hot summer day. Make sure you cut the larger, tougher fruits into smaller pieces to avoid excessive pressure on brackets.
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Who doesn’t love a tasty, cold treat in the summer? Soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt are a great choice because they don’t put pressure on your brackets. Additionally, wires are heat activated so colder foods and liquids can help with discomfort. Avoid flavors that have hard, crunchy pieces as these may get lodged in the braces or put excessive pressure on brackets.
Soft Cheeses
Feeling fancy this summer? Try a variety of soft cheeses and deli meats in your next charcuterie board. These foods are easy to chew and should not put too much strain on your brackets. Avoid pairing any hard crackers with your cheese spread!
The Don’ts – Avoid These Snacks (if you have braces)
Corn on the Cob
This is an orthodontist’s biggest enemy come summertime. Corn on the cob is a treasured summertime cookout tradition, but biting into this food can cause serious damage to your braces. Opt to shave the kernels off the cob and eat corn off the cob.
Hard Snacks
Nuts, chips (thick ones), pretzels, and popcorn are the salty snacks you may crave after sweating in the summer heat; however, they can cause a lot of damage to braces. The little pieces can get stuck under wires and the hard crunches can cause a bracket to pop off. If you are craving a little salt, try opting for a soft pretzel.
Sticky, Chewy Candy
We know that candy is a staple of the summer road trip, but sometimes the orthodontic aftermath is not-so-sweet. Avoid choosing treats like taffy, hard candies, and caramels because they can get stuck to your teeth and brackets or cause them to pop off. Marshmallows, chocolates, and soft gummies are a better choice for your braces.
The Takeaways – Summer Snacking with Braces
Wearing braces doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun summer snacks! Just be cautious when biting into hard or extra-chewy foods. These can put too much pressure on your brackets and wires and cause them to break, bend, or loosen. Avoiding foods with hard and/or sticky pieces can help you avoid unwanted trips to the orthodontist and keep your treatment on track!
Of course, accidents happen! And sometimes a snack looks too good to resist.
If you experience any issues like a loose wire, broken bracket—or something just doesn’t feel right—give us a call! If you ever have a question about the safety of a food when it comes to your orthodontic appliances, don’t hesitate to contact our offices or ask your orthodontist at your next appointment.