Can You Eat Chips with Braces, and Other Wisdom for Kids with Orthodontics
Sisters Olivia, 13, and Grace, 10. Both girls have been on orthodontic journeys with Dot Smiles: Olivia wore braces, and her younger sister had Invisalign First®. The girls provided some invaluable tips about what NOT to do with your orthodontics.
When Olivia first got her braces, she thought she could tackle any snack that came her way—until a rogue chip led to a broken bracket. Grace faced her share of troubles too: In an innocent mix-up, her aligners—neatly wrapped in a napkin—were tossed out, mistaken for trash. Another time, she ate that adolescent delicacy, mac and cheese, with her aligners in, turning the clear trays yellow! Both girls have journeyed beyond their orthodontic appliances now, reminiscing about their trials and tribulations with a chuckle and a smile.
Guide to Eating Restrictions with Braces and Invisalign
Inspired by Grace and Olivia’s lessons, we’d love to share with you a bite-sized guide to eating with orthodontia.
Braces: What Not to Eat
For kids with braces like Olivia, it’s crucial to know what foods are off limits. Can you eat chips with braces? Unfortunately, we don’t recommend it. The hard texture of chips can easily break brackets and cause discomfort. Other foods to avoid include:
- Popcorn.
- Hard candy.
- Chewy sweets, including gum.
- Hard shell tacos.
- Pretzels
Encouraging your child to “stick” to these guidelines will ensure fewer issues and better success!
Invisalign: Best Practices for Mealtime
Children using Invisalign, on the other hand, don’t face eating restrictions so much as a few rules about caring for their aligners, including:
- Always remove aligners before eating anything at all…such as mac and cheese, for example.
- Carefully store the aligners in their case to avoid losing or accidentally throwing them away.
- After eating, brush teeth before putting the aligners back in, to maintain proper oral hygiene.
While Invisalign comes with fewer restrictions, it means more responsibility falls to the child wearing them; and this can be great training for other responsibilities!
Empower Your Child to Be Wise About Their Braces or Invisalign
Orthodontic treatment is an investment in your child’s smile, and with proper care, they can expect to see amazing results. Dot Smiles merges the art and science of orthodontics to create the best-individualized treatment plans for children and adolescents. Schedule a consultation for your child with our compassionate team of experts, and we’ll help them achieve the beautiful smile they deserve while guiding them every step of the way.
“Don’t roll them up in a napkin. Because they’ll get thrown away. Instead, you should always put them in the case.”
I’m Ready TO BEGIN MY SMILE TRANSFORMATION!
Olivia
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