Caring for your teeth with braces
Brush your teeth a lot while wearing braces! Foods tend to get stuck around them, which can accelerate decay. Besides which, it feels gross!
Floss every day. In order to get the floss under your wires, use floss threaders.
Use the special fluoride gel prescribed by your orthodontist every day. It will not only prevent cavities, but also help prevent decalcification (white spots) around the brackets of your braces, so that when you get your braces off your smile will be perfect!
We also ask that you limit your soda intake, not only are they high in sugar, but the carbonization makes them very acidic which will cause white spots. Unfortunately this includes diet sodas.
Eat healthy foods! A healthy diet means a healthy body, healthy teeth, and a better result for your orthodontia.
Foods to avoid while wearing braces!
Gummy Bears
Chewing Cracked Ice
Chewing Hard Bread Crust
Hard Pretzels
Hard Pizza Crust
Apples (unless peeled & cut into bite sized pieces)
Carrots (unless cut in strips)
Popcorn
Frozen Candy Bars
Nuts
Hard Candies
Sticky Candies
Meat on the Bone
Beef Jerky
Celery
Granola Bars
Corn on the COB!
Bubble Gum
Tootsie Roll / Bit-O-Honey
Crunchy Chips
Remember: Use common sense. If it is hard, sticky or chewy, you probably should avoid it.
Recipes for Braces
Fabulous Fruit Smoothies
Makes two servings
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Ingredients:
- 2 Bananas
- 1 cup of Milk
- 1 cup of other fruit (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, mandarin oranges - fresh or thawed from frozen)
- 2 tablespoons of protein powder
Directions
- Cut bananas into 1-inch slices.
- Add all ingredients to a blender
- Mix for 10 seconds on a low setting
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Twisty Soft Pretzels
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Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 envelope yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups all- purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 eggs, beaten
- Pinches of salt or cinnamon-sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- In a small bowl, stir together warm water, yeast and sugar.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix salt and flour with a large spoon. After 5 minutes, stir yeast mix into flour mix. With well-floured hands, shape dough into 6-inch rods, initials, animals or traditional twisted pretzel shapes.
- Brush with the beaten egg and place on a greased cookie sheet.
- If desired, sprinkle with extra salt or cinnamon-sugar.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 425°.
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For more great recipes visit braces.org