The warm weather brings barbeques, vacations, and plenty of opportunities to eat your way across the season. But if you have braces, a summertime menu isn't always easy to manage. Before going to your next backyard bash or family picnic, take a look at what you need to know about favorite summer foods and braces.
Fruits and Vegetables
Even though these picks are at the healthier end of the backyard barbeque spectrum, they can still cause issues for dental patients with braces. When choosing what to eat at a backyard buffet, consider staying away from:
- Whole apples. Biting into a hard whole fruit isn't exactly ideal with braces. Avoid apples (and other similar hard fruits) at your summertime buffet, swapping them out for softer options such as bananas or peeled oranges.
- Uncooked hard vegetables. Like apples and other hard fruits, some raw vegetables are challenging (or damaging) to eat with braces. Choose soft or grilled vegetables, such as zucchini, instead.
- Corn on the cob. This summer picnic favorite is packed with healthy fiber. But eating corn from the cob can result in damage or increase the likelihood of leftover cavity-causing debris. Instead of straight from the cob, try eating cooked corn kernels or kernels mixed into a summer salad.
Braces shouldn't stop you from eating a healthy, balanced diet. While avoiding hard fruits and vegetables is advisable during your summer backyard barbeques, you can still dine on the softer or bite-sized versions described.
Barbeque Meats
What types of barbeque meats and poultry can you eat with braces? Again, like with fruits and vegetables, softer (and smaller cut) options are typically acceptable choices. When choosing main meal picks, consider:
- Staying away from whole ribs. If you're a fan of barbeque ribs, remove the meat from the bone first. Bone-in ribs can leave debris caught in your braces or cause damage (especially if you hit a hard spot with your dental device).
- Choosing thin burgers. Dental patients who are new to braces may find navigating a thick hamburger challenging. Make eating more manageable by choosing a thin burger or cutting it into smaller-sized pieces.
- Avoiding stringy meats. Stringy meats, such as pulled pork, get easily caught in brackets and around wires.
- Avoiding tough-to-chew meats. A well-done steak or tough pork chop can make eating with braces difficult. Instead, stick to softer choices.
The char from barbeque meats can easily stick on or around your brackets. If possible, brush and floss immediately after eating your barbeque or picnic picks. When brushing isn't an option, swish with water to remove the leftover pieces of your meal.
Chips and Snacks
The bowls of chips and pretzels dotting the picnic tables of your backyard summertime bash are tasty. But these not-so-healthy picks are also hard on braces. Biting quickly into a tough tortilla chip or pretzel can damage a bracket or get stuck in between your teeth (leading to cavity-causing decay).
Instead of chips, pretzels, or other salty snacks, try:
- Cheese without the cracker. Skip the crunchy cracker and stick with a soft cheese snack.
- Soft fruit and yogurt dip. If you're a fan of chips and dips, try a softer (and healthier) version with sliced strawberries or bananas and a calcium-packed yogurt topping.
- Berries. Do you enjoy a steady stream of finger food snacks? Pass on the potato chips, and choose soft fresh blueberries or raspberries instead.
- Mashed potatoes. Hard, sharp potato chips are out. But you can enjoy the potato flavor with the cooked and mashed version.
Along with avoiding sharp salty snacks, stay away from hard or sticky sweet snacks — including hard candies, taffy, and caramel.
Are you ready to straighten your smile with braces? Contact Donald E. Synder Orthodontics for more information.
