Do people with braces actually make serious alterations to their diets?

Question

I have braces, I know the orthodontist says not to eat sticky things, sugary things, sweets, fizzy drinks...

It seems like most people I know with braces don't take this into account, and just continue as before. I'm in two minds, as I have a sweet tooth, but at the same time feel guilty, and the dreaded "what if" i get brown marks all over my teeth?

Answer 1

I have braces i cut down on all sweets and hard things , I just ate Ice cream and soft foods .

Although i stick to what i want to drink and i do brush my teeth 5 times a day. My teeth will be getting bleached after my treatment.

( So will your teeth if you've had treatment over 2+ Yrs.)

Kaylee K

Answer 2

I didn't change my diet much at all apart from maybe for the week after they were tightened because of pain. I didn't chew gum to start with but then realized that it actually took the pain away. Orthodontists just say that as their spirl, though do be careful with toffee lollies as a friend managed to pull her entire braces off eating these though I never had a problem.

Answer 3

I stopped drinking fizzy and sugary cordials. Also stopped eating chocolate for around the first 12 months but started sneaking them in every so often. I think as long as you brush your teeth regularly they should be fine. I got my braces off with no stains.

Answer 4

I have a sweet tooth too and I have also been using whitening toothpaste while having braces on.

I have ate as normal apart from fudge (just so happened to get a bit, it didn't damage anything but it was just awkward to eat). I've had fizzy juice, chocolate, sour/sweet candy etc.

With using whitening toothpaste I think I may have just a slight brown mark that (hopefully) I only notice but I'm getting my teeth whitened anyway (just like whitening strips out the chemist).

My friend got hers off yesterday and I'm getting mine off tomorrow (supposedly) so if you have any questions feel free to e-mail me through Yahoo. I'm thirteen just to let you know.

Hope I helped!  

Answer 5

if you brush your teeth really well after each time you eat candy or anything sugary.... there will be no brown marks

Answer 6

It doesn't matter what you eat, you will get stains on your teeth either way....but  star burst and really hard chewy things will break your brackets off. so be careful if you do try to eat those kind of things

Answer 7

There is a risk if you ear sweet things and drink fizzy juices  there can be a concentration of the sugars round the brackets and even with great oral hygiene this can erode through the tooth... So you see  you might gain really straight teeth but what will they look like with big erosion on the front of each tooth.

I must say the thing I missed most when I had braces  was being able to eat and apple the normal way rather than having to cut it up into bits first..