Most children wear braces; some are merely a protection while others are a corrective measure. When you have braces you need to be very careful about what you eat and you must rinse your mouth after every meal. Dental hygiene is of the utmost importance when it comes to a mouth with braces. Acids from the foods that you eat dissolve the enamel on your tooth and cause decay and cavities. There are plenty of foods that you need to avoid when you wear braces.

Sugar is poison to your mouth if you wear braces, so are foods that are high in starch. It is not important how much of sugars and starch you eat but how often you are eating these foods. The foods enter the gap within the metal and the tooth faster than any other type of foods and they are more difficult to get rid off. Sugary delights like cakes, candy, ice cream and pies and starchy foods like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes must be avoided. Avoid hard boiled candy sweets too; these are ‘jaw breakers’ in the literal sense of the word. If the foods that you eat cause a crunch or pop in your mouth then they must be avoided.

Gummy foods are the next thing to be avoided. These are sticky and they cause a sticky sensation in your mouth. They are not easy to remove and in some cases even brushing does not help to remove leftover particles. Added to the fact that they stick to your mouth they are also loaded with sugars; so you have a dual benefit in avoiding these foods. Bubble gums, gummy bears and marshmallows are such candies that fall in this category. The longer you chew on them the more sugar you deposit on your teeth and the greater damage you do to your teeth.

If you have braces then you need to avoid eating crunch fruits like apples and pears. Slice them instead of biting into them. The same can be said for vegetables like carrots and cucumbers. Boil these vegetable in order to prevent any damage to your tooth or the enamel.