Here are your braces’ biggest enemies:
- Apples: Don’t bite into a whole one! Cut it into thin wedges first.
- Bagels and hard rolls: Convicted culprits of bending wires and loosening brackets.
- Beef jerky: Your braces don’t stand a chance against this leathery food.
- Bubble gum: Trust us, there’s nothing worse than spending hours picking gum from your braces.
- Candy canes or suckers: You might weaken and take a bite!
- Caramels and chewy candies: And you thought bubble gum was messy.
- Chicken wings: You can enjoy these if you first cut the meat off the bone.
- Corn chips: Anything that crunches when you bite it is bad news for braces.
- Corn on the cob: If you must, remove the kernels from the cob with a knife, then enjoy!
- Fingernails: Now’s the perfect time to kick that bad habit.
- Fruit Roll-Ups: See bubble gum.
- Gummi anything: See bubble gum.
- Hard candies: Can loosen wires and dislodge brackets.
- Hard cookies: Good news: You can have these if you soften them with milk.
- Ice cubes: No crunching!
- Nuts: All varieties—including peanuts, cashews and almonds—are off limits.
- Pears: Just like you would with apples, cut them into thin wedges first.
- Peanut brittle: Anything that crunches when you bite it is bad news for braces.
- Pens and pencils: Don’t laugh, a lot of students can’t stop chewing on these inedible school supplies.
- Pickles: If you have a craving, cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Popcorn: Great with movies, bad with braces.
- Pizza Crust: Good news: the rest of the pie is fine!
- Pretzels: Bends wires, loosens bands and knocks off brackets
- Raw carrots: If have a Bugs Bunny-like adoration for these orange veggies, steam or boil them for a much less crunchy consistency.
- Ribs: Just like you would with chicken wings, take the meat off the bone first.
- Sugary candy: Can lodge beneath brackets and wires, leading to tooth decay.
- Taffy:: It’s best to avoid this stuff entirely—even if you don’t have braces!
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