It’s hard to believe the holidays are nearly here. We know, regardless of what you celebrate, a big part of the festivities will involve food. If you’re one of our Omaha braces patients, you might be wondering, “What can I eat with braces this holiday season?” Well, have no fear, because while, yes, you will have to make a few adjustments, there are plenty of braces-friendly holiday foods you can eat with abandon. In fact, we’re sharing 50 delicious options!
Before we get into the holiday foods to eat with braces, let’s have a quick refresher of eating with braces in general since this will help you make confident decisions when you sit down to enjoy a holiday meal. When you first get your braces put on and sometimes following adjustments, your teeth can be a little sensitive. Any tenderness is mild and will go away in a few days. However, during this time, enjoying soft foods, as well as cold foods and drinks, can be helpful. Mashed potatoes, smoothies, protein shakes, yogurt, applesauce, soup, ice cream and pudding are all great examples of foods to eat with braces the first week of treatment or any time your teeth are sensitive.
Once you’re ready to tackle your normal diet again, keep in mind the basics of how to eat with braces. Never bite directly into foods with your front teeth. Instead, cut or break food into small pieces and chew with your back teeth.
While most things will still be on the menu, there are a few foods to avoid with braces because they can damage your appliance. The foods you can’t eat with braces include:
As we said, it’s less about what to eat with braces and more about how to eat with braces (i.e., cutting things into tiny pieces and chewing with those back teeth), so while there are a few common holiday foods to avoid with braces, you can still eat many by adjusting your technique. These are the holidays foods you shouldn’t eat with braces, at least unmodified:
Now, on to the good news! Here are 50 delicious foods you can eat with braces this holiday season:
Of course, that’s not a complete list of foods to eat with braces during the holidays, but it’s a great starting point to give you some ideas. If perfecting your smile is also on the holiday agenda this year, schedule a complimentary in-person or virtual consultation at Hawley Orthodontics. We hope everyone has a happy (and delicious) holiday season!