Congratulations on your new braces! Amidst all the excitement, adjustments, and introduction to your new smile-enhancing equipment, you may have forgotten to ask one very important question: what can you eat? Here are some tips for stocking an orthodontic-friendly fridge that will thrill your taste buds and keep your North Tampa orthodontist happy, too.
Fresh Fruit
Fruit is not only healthy, it’s also easy to take on the road for a quick snack between classes or before practice. Grab some bananas, grapes, melons, berries, peaches, oranges, and even pears.
Dairy
Cheese and yogurt are soft and delicious. Combine some goat cheese and crackers and you have a tasty new snack. Toss some yogurt and fruit in a blender and you have a protein-rich breakfast ideal for those days when your teeth may be a little more tender.
Soft Side Dishes
When you want to whip up a soft side dish the whole family will love, reach for mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, applesauce, or steamed veggies.
Comfort Food Classics
Your North Tampa, FL orthodontist might recommend skipping some of your favorite junk food items while you work on perfecting your smile, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a few classic examples of comfort food. Pasta dishes such as ravioli and spaghetti are perfect, as are chicken noodle soup, chicken and dumplings, beef stew, cheesy scrambled eggs, pancakes, tuna salad, and peanut butter and jelly.
Dessert
Treat yourself to pudding, ice cream, milkshakes, Jello, popsicles, or cake, just make sure you brush your teeth when you’re done.
Food to Avoid While You’ve Got Braces
Knowing what you can eat is the fun part – knowing what you can’t eat is essential to a comfortable and concern-free orthodontic experience.
- Hard Foods: Crusty rolls or baguettes, bagels, chips, croutons, pizza crust, apples, corn on the cob, and raw vegetables such as carrots and celery can all displace or damage your brackets and wires.
- Sticky Foods: Unless you want make an extra visit to your friendly North Tampa orthodontics office to get help cleaning out your candy-covered brackets, avoid sticky snack foods like gum, tootsie rolls, licorice, caramel, taffy, and jelly beans, as well as things like tortilla chips and pretzels that tend to mush up and adhere to braces.
- Tough Foods: A nice, juicy steak can be appetizing, but chewing it – or any other less-than-tender meat such as beef jerky or pepperoni sticks – may pull on your hardware or irritate newly adjusted teeth.
For more information on a braces-friendly diet or to schedule a consultation with your favorite orthodontist in North Tampa, FL, call Turke Orthodontics at 813.264.1435.
This information is not meant as medical advice. It is provided solely for education. Our North Tampa, FL, orthodontics office would be pleased to discuss your unique circumstances and needs as they relate to these topics.
Meet Turke Orthodontics
Specializing In Braces & Invisalign In North Tampa, FL
Dr. Turke, top-rated orthodontist in North Tampa, FL, offers the most advanced braces for you and your loved one, including TP braces, Damon braces, Invisalign, Invisalign Teen and more! Contact our Tampa, FL, orthodontics office today to schedule your Iverson Smile Assessment. With 2 convenient locations located in North Tampa, FL, and Brandon, FL there is sure to be an office located near you!
North Tampa, FL Orthodontics Office: 813.264.1435
Brandon, FL Orthodontics Office: 813.661.1073
