What Snacks Can You Have With Braces?

In this blog post, we share a variety of food options that are both nutritious and braces-friendly for your child!

Safe Snack Foods for Braces

With kids back to school, they can come home famished after a long day of mental gymnastics and physical activity. These foods will satisfy your child’s growling tummy while keeping their braces safe! Many of these are also good options for your child’s lunch when packed in an insulated lunch box tote.

• Sliced soft fruits like watermelon, bananas, peaches, strawberries, and kiwi
• Soft berries, like blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
• String cheese and cubed cheese
• Scrambled and hard-boiled eggs
• Whole wheat pancakes
• Well-blended smoothies
• Applesauce, chia seed pudding, and low-sugar yogurt
• Avocado toast made with soft bread
• Nut-free muffins
• Tuna fish sandwiches
• Peanut butter and jam sandwiches made with smooth peanut butter
• Hummus with sliced bell peppers, soft crackers, or steamed veggies
• Frozen yogurt and popsicles
• Macaroni and cheese
• Whole-grain pasta or sautéed spiralized zucchini (zoodles) with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese

What Snacks Should You Avoid with Braces?

There are several potentially harmful foods that we recommend patients with braces avoid during their orthodontic treatment. Foods that can get easily stuck in brackets or have a high risk of damaging brackets should be saved until after a patient’s treatment is complete. For example:

• Biting into apples, peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, carrots, jicama, celery, and corn-on-the-cob
• Crunchy granola bars
• Hard chips like tortilla chips, kettle chips, and pretzels
• Chewy snacks like beef jerky and pork rinds
• Sticky foods like taffy, caramel, and dried fruit
• Popcorn
• Nuts

Are You Uncertain If a Food Is Safe for Braces?

If you aren’t sure if a certain snack is braces-friendly or not, it’s best to play it safe and pick something else until you are able to ask our team. We’ll be glad to advise to help protect your child from tooth decay, gum disease, and broken braces (which can prolong their orthodontic treatment). Please contact us today with questions or to schedule your child’s next appointment!

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