If you have braces, you’re probably used to avoiding foods that might damage them. But you shouldn’t hold back from enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with your loved ones!
In this blog post, we cover some of the foods you should avoid this Thanksgiving to keep your braces clean and damage free, and recommend foods you can pile on your plate without second-guessing yourself.
Bad Thanksgiving Foods for Braces
Avoid any foods that are hard, chewy, or tough. This includes hard nuts, chips, crusty breads, toffee, caramel, and biting into raw carrots, broccoli, and hard pears. Apples are safe if cut into bite-sized pieces. These harder foods run the risk of breaking your braces, which can be painful, is inconvenient, and may prolong your treatment.
You should also avoid biting into corn on the cob and meat on the bone. The pressure of biting can damage your brackets.
Safe Thanksgiving Foods for Braces
You are free to enjoy nearly everything this Thanksgiving: stuffing, sweet potato casserole, soups, mashed potatoes, soft bread rolls, tender boneless meat, salad, and cooked vegetables.
For dessert, you only need to stay away from anything tough, particularly crunchy, or very sticky. So soft pies, puddings, and baked fruit are safe!
Drink plenty of water to help wash away the food particles from around your brackets. If not promptly removed, these food particles can increase your risk of tooth decay, bad breath, gum disease, and discoloration.
If you’re having dinner at someone else’s home this year, remember to bring a dental kit with a soft-bristled toothbrush, floss and floss threader, and dental wax.
We hope that you and your loved ones have a safe and happy Thanksgiving this year!
Affordable Orthodontics in McKinney & Frisco, TX
Dreaming of a straighter smile? OrthodonTEX specializes in orthodontic treatments for patients of all ages, from kids to adults. Our team can find a treatment plan that works best for you, whether that be braces or aligners. We also offer flexible financing to help make your treatment affordable! Contact us today to schedule a consultation at OrthodonTEX.
