Foods to Avoid

Orthodontics in Kansas City, MO

At Creekwood Orthodontics, it's our mission to provide high quality orthodontic care in a fun, friendly office environment. Dr. Dorsch and our dedicated team of highly trained orthodontic specialists work hard to get to know all our patients individually, and we strive to craft specialized treatment plans to perfectly suit our patients' unique orthodontic needs. But while the treatments we perform in office are critically important to your new smile, it's also vital that you take great care of your teeth and braces on your own - and that includes monitoring your diet.

Keeping Braces Safe

While braces are strong enough to move teeth, they can easily be damaged by hard foods, sticky foods, and foods with a lot of sugar. During treatment, it's imperative that you avoid these kinds of foods, as they may break or damage your brackets or wires, throwing your treatment off track and causing costly, time consuming repairs. While you're wearing braces, please avoid foods like these:

Examples of Sticky Foods to Avoid:

• Gum (sugar-free or regular)
• Licorice
• Sugar Daddies
• Toffee
• Tootsie Rolls
• Caramels
• Starburst

Examples of Hard Foods to Avoid:

• Ice
• Nuts
• Hard taco shells
• French bread crust/rolls
• Corn on the cob
• Apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces)
• Bagels
• Chips
• Jolly Ranchers
• Pizza crust
• Uncooked carrots (unless cut)

Minimize Sugary Foods like:

• Cake
• Ice Cream
• Cookies
• Pie
• Candy

Only Once a Day:

• Soda
• Sweetened tea
• Gatorade
• Kool-Aid
• Drinks with sugar

In addition to avoiding these foods, we encourage you to quit any bad habits involving your teeth - this includes nail biting, chewing on pens, pencils, or other foreign objects, and smoking. If you'd like, we're more than happy to direct you to resources to help you quit these habits.

Be sure to regularly inspect your braces for broken, loose, or damaged brackets or wires. If you find anything suspicious looking or broken, call us immediately and we'll determine the best course of action.

Contact Your Kansas City, MO Orthodontist