Which Foods should I avoid to prevent breaking braces?

Breaking orthodontic appliances are almost always caused by patients eating foods they shouldn't be eating. We encourage patients to avoid eating hard foods, sugary foods and sticky foods.

Hard foods can easily break or damage teeth, brackets and wires. Sticky foods can easily get trapped in between teeth, wires and brackets and sometimes pull wires and braces off teeth!

Examples of hard foods to avoid include nuts, hard crusty breads, popcorn, ice, corn on the cob, chips, raw carrots and apples (cut into small pieces or have grated).

Examples of sticky foods to avoid include chewy lollies, rollups, liquorice, toffee, caramels and gum (both sugar-free and regular gum).

Which Foods should I avoid to prevent cavities?

Sugary foods should be avoided as they cause dental cavities. This will impact your teeth, orthodontic treatment and appliances. In some instances, if there is concern about a poor diet habit and cavities, a tough decision may have to be made to cease orthodontic treatment to prevent long term issues arising.

During orthodontic treatment it is important to minimise sugary foods like lollies, soft drink, sports drinks, juices, cake, ice cream and biscuits.

Which Habits should I avoid?

Habits, such as fingernail biting, pencil and pen chewing should be discouraged during treatment. These habits increase chances of breaking your braces and orthodontic appliances.

If any damage is to occur to your orthodontic appliance, you should notify our team at Gippsland Orthodontics immediately.