Tips to Enjoy the Holiday Season With Braces
We all look forward to the holiday season: unwrapping gifts, the snowy landscape, and most of all, the delicious food. If you got braces this year, you may be wondering, am I going to have to miss out on all those sweet holiday treats? The answer is no, but there are certain foods you do have to watch out for if you have braces. Here at Niagara Orthodontics we want to keep the holiday spirit alive for everyone—even if you have braces—so here are some dental tips on what you can eat during the holidays!
What To Eat
If you are imagining family's holiday dinner spread and worrying that you might not be able to enjoy the feast, have no fear, you can still eat those foods! Dinner ham, mashed potatoes, and pie are all great foods to eat if you have braces. When eating with braces it's important to avoid hard and sticky foods, try and stick with the softer foods on the dinner table. When it comes to your stocking stuffers, you can still eat sweets like chocolate and candy, but make sure not to bite anything too hard, as that could strain your braces. After eating holiday food the most important thing is to make sure to brush your teeth! All those sweets in your braces become much harder to clean if you let them wait around too long.
What To Avoid
While you can drink as much eggnog and eat as many fresh baked cookies as you want, there are some foods to avoid. Candy canes and pecan pies both tend to be too hard for braces and can bend the wires that are straightening out your teeth. Similarly, sticky food like caramels and taffy can easily land inside your braces and become very hard to get out. Hard food can break your brackets and prolong the amount of time you will need to have braces, so watch out for popcorn, pretzels, and peppermint bark. If you stay away from hard and sticky foods, and brush your teeth after eating, you will have no problem enjoying this holiday season with braces!