Dental Professionals
Getting braces changes a few things in your daily routine, but maybe not as much as you think. Most people worry they'll have to give up everything they enjoy, but that's rarely the case.
This guide covers the practical side of living with braces: what's allowed, what isn't, and why it matters for your treatment.
What You CAN Do With Braces
1. Eat a Normal Diet (With Small Changes)
Braces don't force you onto a restricted meal plan. Rice, pasta, cooked vegetables, soft fruits, eggs, chicken, and fish are all fine. You can eat bread, pizza, and most regular meals without any problems.
The main difference is HOW you eat certain foods. Cutting things into smaller pieces rather than biting into them directly can help prevent damage to your braces. That's the adjustment. Your meals stay familiar, but your eating method changes slightly.
2. Continue Playing Sports
Physical activity and braces work together without issues. Running, swimming, cycling, gym workouts, and most sports fit into your routine the same way they did before.
However, if you play contact sports, you’ll need one extra item: a mouthguard. Mouthguards can help prevent injuries to your mouth as well as protect your brackets and wires from damage during play. Ask your orthodontist about it at your next appointment, and they can provide one that fits over your braces!
3. Travel Without Complications
Fortunately, airports, train stations, and security checkpoints don’t create problems for people with braces because metal detectors don't react to orthodontic appliances.
That means you can plan your travel exactly as you would without braces. But you should definitely bring a travel toothbrush and orthodontic wax on your trip.
4. Get Medical Care When Needed
Having braces doesn't prevent you from receiving medical treatment or diagnostic tests. MRI scans work in most cases, depending on the type of braces and the body part being imaged.
That being said, you should tell your healthcare provider about your braces before any procedure. They'll confirm whether adjustments are needed or if everything can proceed normally.
5. Maintain Clean Teeth Throughout Treatment
Cleaning your teeth with braces takes more effort, but it remains completely doable. Brush after eating to remove food particles that collect around brackets and use a soft-bristled toothbrush designed for braces.
You should floss daily with braces, either using a floss threader, a water flosser, or an electric flosser to reach between teeth and under wires. Consider adding non-alcoholic mouthwash to your routine for extra protection!
Why does this matter? Well, keeping your teeth clean during treatment helps prevent problems and leads to better results when the braces come off. The goal is to achieve a straight, healthy smile.
Make Flossing With Braces Actually Manageable With the Slate Electric Flosser
Flossing with braces is where most people give up. Threading floss under each wire with a threader takes forever, and water flossers, while convenient, mostly clean the outer surface of your teeth and miss the tighter spaces where plaque collects around brackets.
Adopting a better option like the Slate Electric Flosser is one way you can make sure your teeth are taken care of while you have braces.
5 Reasons Slate Is Great for Braces:
- Uses real woven floss that is less likely to shred
- Sonic vibrations help remove food and plaque
- Cleans between teeth properly and doesn't just rinse the surface
- Slim flosser arm slides under wires easily
- Rubber bristles scrub the sides of brackets
The whole process takes less than two minutes for your entire mouth, and if you’ve ever flossed with braces before, then you know how long traditional flossing can take.
Slate’s key feature for anyone with braces is the Slate Orthodontic Floss Head. These reusable and replaceable floss heads have patented bracket sweeps built into them, which are shaped to fit around your brackets while you floss. As you move the floss head back and forth, the ribs and bristles remove the plaque and food particles from all the spots your toothbrush can’t reach and a water flosser is likely to miss. The motion is simple, and the difference is immediate.
For anyone starting orthodontic treatment, the Slate Braces Bundle includes the Slate Pro Electric Flosser and a pack of orthodontic floss heads, so you have everything you need from day one. The floss heads last up to a week each and are free of Teflon, PFAS, and PTFE, which makes them a more practical and cleaner choice compared to disposable floss picks.
Buy Your Braces Bundle Today
What You CAN’T Do With Braces
1. Eat Hard or Sticky Foods
Some foods damage braces or create cleaning problems. Hard items, such as nuts, popcorn kernels, hard candies, and ice cubes, can break brackets loose or bend wires out of position.
Sticky foods like chewing gum, caramel, and toffee attach themselves to brackets and become difficult to remove. They can also pull brackets off teeth.
Avoiding these foods for the duration of your treatment protects your investment and prevents emergency orthodontic visits.
2. Bite Into Firm Foods Directly
Apples, pears, corn on the cob, crusty bread rolls, and similar foods are fine to eat, but not by biting into them. That action puts concentrated force on your front brackets.
Cut these foods into smaller portions first. Slice apples and pears. Remove corn from the cob. Break bread into pieces. Then chew using your back teeth. This method lets you enjoy these foods safely.
3. Neglect Your Oral Hygiene
Skipping brushing or doing a quick, careless job causes multiple problems. Food debris stays trapped around brackets and wires, creating conditions for plaque buildup.
Poor cleaning leads to cavities, gum inflammation, and permanent white spots on teeth. These white marks appear where brackets were attached and remain visible even after the braces are removed.
Brush properly every time. It takes a few extra minutes, but it saves you from lasting damage.
4. Skip Scheduled Orthodontist Appointments
Your treatment depends on regular adjustments. These appointments allow your orthodontist to tighten wires, check progress, and make necessary changes to keep everything moving forward.
Missing appointments extends your treatment time. Sometimes significantly. It can also affect your final results since the teeth need consistent, timed adjustments to move into the correct positions.
Stay on schedule with your appointments. They're part of the treatment, not optional check-ins.
5. Skip Informing Medical Staff About Your Braces
Most medical procedures work fine with braces, but some imaging tests may need modifications. Metal components can interfere with certain types of scans or X-rays.
Always mention that you have braces when scheduling medical appointments or tests. This gives the medical team time to prepare or adjust their approach if needed. It takes one sentence to mention and prevent potential complications.
Conclusion
Braces require some adjustments to your habits, but they don't overhaul your entire lifestyle. You'll eat differently, clean more carefully, and avoid certain foods temporarily.
Most of your routine stays the same. Sports, travel, work, school, and social activities continue without major changes. The restrictions exist to protect your braces and ensure your treatment stays on track.
Following these guidelines makes the process smoother. When your treatment ends and the braces come off, you'll have the straight, healthy smile you were working toward. The temporary changes become worth the permanent results.
Guest Blog by Thurman Orthodontics