One of the sacrifices that most orthodontic patients have to make is adhering to dietary limitations during the course of their treatment. Any type of fixed braces can be damaged by biting into hard foods or chewing on sticky or crunchy foods.
Your orthodontist in London should advise you on which foods you should avoid, but you will typically have to steer clear of chewing gum, gummy sweets, caramel, popcorn, nuts, hard candy, crusty bread, tough meat, and raw fruits and vegetables.
You should still be able to eat fruits, vegetables, meat, and bread as long as they are cut up into small pieces, so you don’t have to bite through them or chew them up. They could otherwise get stuck in the wires or brackets and loosen or break them.
As with any good oral hygiene routine, orthodontists will also recommend avoiding sugary, fizzy, or caffeinated drinks, which could encourage enamel erosion and cause noticeable staining of the teeth around the brackets.
If the thought of such dietary restrictions puts you off from orthodontics in London, Invisalign is ideal. While you can’t eat or drink anything when your clear aligners are in, you can eat and drink whatever you want when you take them out.
That’s right – you don’t have to avoid the foods and drinks you love! With Invisalign, you can take your aligners out to eat and drink at mealtimes, then brush your teeth thoroughly before putting the aligners back in.
However, the only thing you can drink without taking your Invisalign aligners out is plain water, and you should never put them back in after eating or drinking without brushing your teeth first.