No Food List

You’ve probably already heard the bad news that you’ll need to make some dietary adjustments during orthodontic treatment. We know this can be a challenge, but following these guidelines ensures the optimal effectiveness of your orthodontic treatment. We couldn’t possibly encompass every food that you should avoid, but a good rule of thumb is that you should avoid eating foods that may stick in the brackets or wires, pull at the appliances, or are hard enough to break any part of your orthodontics.

The most common foods we encourage people to avoid include:

• Hard breads like pizza crust, pretzels, or bagels
• Any meats that are still on the bone like chicken wings, T-bone steaks, or ribs
• Chips, especially those made from tough, heavy, or sharp edged materials like Doritos or other taco chips
• Popcorn
• Nuts
• Raw vegetables especially very difficult to bite or chew foods like carrots
• Fruits that are eaten by biting into them through the skin like apples, pears, and peaches
• Chewy candies like caramels or gummy bears
• Avoid chewing gum as this will stick in the brackets and wires
• Highly acidic, sugary, or darkly colored drinks including sweet tea, darkly colored teas, soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper), coffee, and wine