This month is National Nutrition Month®. It is meant to raise awareness about the importance of making healthy choices, such as a healthy breakfast to fuel your day. The foods you eat can of course impact your oral health. Sugary foods tend to increase risk for tooth decay, while fruit and vegetables contain nutrients, vitamins and calcium that are good for your teeth and gums. But did you know that diet also comes into play during orthodontic treatment? Here are a few concerns regarding food and braces:
- Continue to eat fresh fruit and vegetables while you are wearing braces, but you’ll need to take precautions to prevent bending wires and loosening brackets. All you have to do is cut firm produce into smaller, bite-size pieces. Biting directly into a whole carrot, apple or another type of firm food can easily pop a bracket off the surface of your tooth or bend the arch wire.
- Substitute water for soda, which is actually always a good idea. Soda is very sugary, which, outside of enjoying soda in moderation, can be bad for your teeth and overall health. When you are wearing braces, drinking sugary and acidic beverages like soda can cause permanent white stains to form around the brackets. The brackets provide a surface for the soda to cling to, causing the liquid to stay on your teeth longer.
- Skip candy, especially the sticky, crunchy and hard kinds. The days following Halloween are busy at orthodontists’ offices due to the many repairs needed by patients whose braces are damaged by candies. The sugar in candy also sticks to your braces just like soda does, which can lead to cavities and stains.
At Advanced Orthodontic Care, Dr. Robert Rudman and our team want to make sure you have all the information you need to have a successful orthodontic experience. We will make sure you know what to eat, how to care for your teeth, how to clean your braces and all other aspects of treatment.
To arrange a FREE orthodontic consultation with Dr. Rudman in Denver, please call our experienced team at 303-331-0222.
