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How can I eat and brush my teeth with all that metal in my mouth?This handout is designed to give you information on what foods to avoid and how to eat different types of foods during the period you have orthodontic braces and wires. You will quickly realize that orthodontic treatment is not a punishment and that you don’t have to deprive yourself of everything you like. Following these instructions will allow you to go through treatment as quickly as possible and with a minimum of difficulty. Everytime a brace comes off or a wire breaks, treatment cannot proceed as planned and treatment time is lengthened. It is therefore necessary to notify your orthodontist so that everything can be corrected as soon as possible. |
Why not gum? I like it and all my friends who wear braces chew it?You are allowed to eat almost everything except chewing gum. You may ask yourself: « Why not gum – I like it and all my friends who wear braces chew it? » It is not because we want to deny you or bother you – chewing gum causes orthodontic wires to fatigue much more rapidly. If one wants to break a piece of metal without cutting it with pliers, an easy way is to continually bend the wire back and forth in the same spot. Chewing gum has this same effect on the wire. It can also remove ligatures which helps to hold the wire into the braces as well as cause wire to come out of the braces in the back. This can allow teeth to move in the wrong direction and prolong treatment. |
Foods to be carefulEven though most other foods are permitted Special attention should be paid to how certain foods are eaten in order to avoid problems with your braces:
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