As you go to your doctors in order to get braces you will also be handed over a dental soft food diet list.

This is the list of items you can eat or have to avoid after getting braces.

When you were those brackets and worse, then it will not be easy to eat almost everything.

A popcorn kernel or sticky taffy will inevitably get stuck inside damaging the wires hence, delaying your treatment.

This article discusses the diet that you can easily follow with braces and what you are supposed to avoid.

Keep reading below to know more!

soft food diet

Why Do You Need a Soft Food Diet?

A diet consisting of soft foods is not only applicable to braces.

In fact, you may want to keep at it after whitening -having sensitivity concerns or other dental work such as extraction.

After an extraction procedure, implant, or surgery, you will need to stick to soft foods.

They help in healing your wounds and also reduce irritation.

Moreover, you will refrain from biting using the treated tooth.

In fact, you will only swallow down the food easily.

Since your jaw and mouth will already be sore, it will be hard to bite anyways.

Eating this diet will provide you with nutrition and prevent irritation in the area that is healing.

For braces, certain hard foods can damage the wires and brackets.

Plus sticky items can get stuck onto them.

You want to eat something that you can easily swallow without having to come into contact with your metal wires.

Though you should not compromise on the nutritional value of what you eat.

Soft foods like soups, porridge and certain vegetables are also rich in nutrients.

Fruits like strawberries and peaches when mashed give enough Vitamin C to help in healing by repairing tissue.

Whereas avocado can provide fat and soup with chicken broth is rich in protein.

Protein repairs the skin, muscle and tissue so that you heal soon.

After getting your braces for the first time and fixing them regularly, you will feel some pain.

Your mouth may feel slightly sore too.

Hence, sticking to soft eatable items is the right choice for now.

So what are these items that you can easily eat after a dental procedure and while wearing braces?

Let’s dive deeper into this below!

yogurt for braces

Soft Food Diet After Braces and Dental Procedures

Soup

Soups are comfort food that helps when we are hurting.

Its warmth is innately comforting.

What’s more, it is easy to eat with plenty of vitamins and minerals.

The beef stock or chicken stock will be full of proteins too that helps in healing.

Plus, they contain collagen which maintains your gum health.

All kinds of soups are generally good but you can choose simple ones like tomato soup, vegetable soup or lentil soup right after returning from treatment.

Diary Products

Yogurt and cheese are two soft and smooth foods to add to your diet.

Thye can also become an alternative to tough meat.

Yogurt is especially good to eat right when you get your braces for the first time.

Your gums will be sore so eating something cold can soothe them.

Plus, it contains calcium, Vitamin B6, B12 and proteins.

So it is good to build stronger teeth and should actually be part of your daily life, braces or no braces.

Fruits 

Soft fruits especially citrus fruits can give a soothing and numbing effect.

Cantaloupe, honeydew and grapefruits tangerine and kiwi can be eaten as it is or by mashing them.

They contain Vitamin C and are low in fat, sodium and overall calories.

Hence, they are a healthy snack to consume all year round but due to the soft texture, especially good for braces.

Grapes and blueberries also make for good fruits to eat as they are soft and contain fluids to prevent dehydration.

eggs for braces

 

Eggs 

Eggs are healthy, moreover, they hardly require any pressure while eating while also being fulfilling.

You can eat them in the form of scrambled eggs, fried, poached or even hard-boiled.

You can consume all of these with ease earing your braces.

Add some tomatoes, avocados and cheese for more flavor.

Fish 

A soft flaky fish makes for a good meal right after having braces.

Bake it with lemon and butter plus a few veggies on the side.

Fish contain Omega-3 fats that have anti-inflammatory properties helping to reduce soreness and redness after your dental visit.

Also, lessens pain and swelling.

fruit bowl

Vegetables 

Cooked or boiled vegetables are the way to go.

You may have to put the raw carrots you munch, on the side for a while.

You will be fine eating all sorts of cooked vegetables plus they are rich in potassium, folate and vitamin A and C that will fill up all of your nutrient requirements.

Plus the dietary fiber will keep your mouth clean as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Smoothies and Protein Shakes 

You can simply resort to drinking smoothies and protein shakes rather than eating.

Mix different fruits to get a different smoothie each time that is easy to gulp down and fill you.

Add protein and vitamin powders to boost it through smoothies and protein shakes will have enough nutrients anyway.

Protein shakes are as good a replacement for meals as smoothies during the first few days of wearing braces.

Once your teeth and gums feel better, you can start eating soft foods again.

There are several other alternatives you can try too.

pancakes for eating with braces

Other foods to eat include:

  • pancakes
  • oatmeal
  • french toast
  • applesauce
  • sweet potatoes
  • fruit juice
  • meatloaf
  • tofu
  • cooked beans
  • chicken salad
  • soft cooked meat
  • quinoa
  • soft cooked rice
  • pasta and noodles
  • Couscous
  • avocado
  • icecream
  • soft tortilla shells
  • custard
  • hummus
  • mashed potatoes
  • ground chicken or ground turkey

biting apple with front teeth

What Items to Avoid with Braces

Besides eating the softer foods, you also have to keep up with avoiding the harder ones.

Some of these foods you can occasionally eat but should preferably avoid.

Whereas the other ones are those that you should definitely avoid.

Hard and Sticky Food 

Anything hard will require you to chew it harshly.

That in return can hurt your wires and brackets.

Use hard candy and taffy stick to your teeth and will also do so the braces.

Thus, they are harder to clean and remove.

Caramel, peanut butter, chewing gum and maple syrup are all examples of foods you should be avoided in case it damages braces.

Though other hard foods such as crunch vegetables, hard pieces of bread and nuts can be consumed.

However, it is best to refrain from eating them often.

Cook the vegetables to soften them rather than apply force to bite them.

Food that Requires Biting from Front Teeth 

Certain foods such as apples need to be bitten using your front teeth.

When you have braces on, it is hard to do so.

Plus whatever you at should be soft hence, refrain from foods that require biting hardly into them.

Chewing Pencil and Nail Biting

Leave behind your unhealthy habit of nail-biting and chewing pencils.

These inedibles should not come near your mouth that is wearing braces.

Biting Ice 

If you habitually chew ice, it is time to stop.

It will not only damage your braces wires and brackets but also cause cracks in your teeth.

Hence, only use them to cool your drinks.

Hard Meats 

Beef jerky is tough meat that can require some force to eat.

In the act, it can damage your wires.

Similarly, beef and chicken that are undercooked can be hard to chew. Leave them if they are.

soft food diet of oats

Keeping Your Teeth In Consideration While Eating

Essentially the braces stick to your enamel.

Hence, if you have a stronger enamel, the brackets will stay in place firmly.

Thus, when you are careful while eating, you may also want to add foods that keep the enamel stronger.

These are usually calcium-rich foods and protein-rich foods.

Foods that contain calcium are dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt.

Though certain vegetables are rich in calcium too such as broccoli and kale.

Just remember to not bite into the hard ones rather eat them cooked.

Plus probiotics contain live cultures that can help to balance the bad bacteria inside your mouth keeping it healthy.

What’s more, cheese helps to reduce the acid in your mouth.

This acid can cause erosion and further lead to cavities and irritation in people with braces.

As cheese reduces acidity, it prevents any of this from happening.

Soft food diet meat, eggs, beans and tofu are a great source of protein.

Plus protein shakes are full of it anyways.

Foods that contain sugars can harm the enamel.

However, those that are sugar-free can promote saliva in your mouth.

Saliva gets rid of the bacteria and food particles stuck in your teeth.

Remember, that gum isn’t a great option as it will stick to your braces even if it is sugar free.

Finally, 

This soft diet list can help you wear braces comfortably while fulling yourself with nutritious meals.

If anything, you will have better teeth at the end of your treatment because of how carefully you ate food.

Though you do not need to stick to the dental soft diet food list till the end.

Slowly transition to more crunchy items but treat your teeth and braces with care,