Braces offer many benefits such as strengthening the teeth and making them even. You may have to have braces for a short or long time depending on the condition of your teeth as well as what kind of food you eat. Therefore, it also begs a question. Can you eat chips with braces?
Despite the many benefits of braces, they also have some drawbacks. For instance, they can cause serious jaw pain, tooth decay, and other dental problems, especially if you are not careful while eating.
Unfortunately, you have to avoid many of your favorite foods including pizzas and chips with braces. Eating them carefully once in a blue moon is fine. But –making them a part of your daily menu can have serious consequences for your teeth as well as braces.
Let us find out whether or not you can eat chips or other crunchy foods with braces. We will also list foods that are healthy for your teeth and gum and what foods to avoid with braces.
Can You Eat Chips with Braces?
You can eat chips with braces. There is inherently nothing wrong with it. However, you have to be very careful here. Try to abstain from hard, crunchy, and sugary chips and those with sharp edges. These kinds of chips exert too much pressure on your braces. The braces can break under such pressure. Besides, the chips can also get stuck between your teeth and metal, causing considerable damage to both the teeth and braces.
Can You Eat Chips with New Braces?
It is better to avoid eating chips of all kinds if you just have had your braces. Eating chips involves a lot of risk for braces. For example, it can ruin or prolong your treatment in addition to damaging the orthodontic appliance.
The high amount of salt in the chips can promote bacterial growth. Therefore, chips can result in the corrosion of brackets if they get stuck in the teeth. Similarly, it can also result in discoloration and staining of teeth. The bacteria can also cause gum irritation.
Chips and other foods that are hard to chew are quite harmful to the braces, especially if they are new. The extra pressure put on the structure by chewing these foods can lead to premature wear and tear.
Apart from high salt content, chips are also rich in oil or fats which are deleterious to teeth as well as braces. It is a cumbersome task to eat chips and other hard and oily foods with braces.
What Chips Can You Eat with Braces?
Although you should not eat any kinds of chips with braces yet some varieties are not as damaging to braces as harder or crunchier chips.
For example, baked chips are less crunchy and have a softer texture compared to fried chips.
Some of these chips and snacks are as under.
- Baked chips
- Pringles
- Cheese puffs
- Kale chips
- Veggie sticks
- Sweet potato fries
- Carrot chips
You must also eat only one piece of a chip at a time instead of eating a handful of them. It is not only more comfortable and politer to eat but it will also protect your braces from any calamity such as a broken bracket or bent wires.
What Kinds of Chips You Cannot Eat with Braces?
You should avoid crunchy and hard chips if you have braces. They can get stuck between your teeth and braces and cause a lot of damage. The brackets can even break and fall off your teeth if you chew these chips too hard.
Therefore, you must avoid the following types of chips if you don’t want to compromise or prolong your treatment.
- Tortilla chips
- Most types of fried potato chips
- Cheetos or similar fried chips
- Kettle-cooked chips
- All kinds of crunchy chips
- Hard chips
- Sugar-coated chips
Soft Potato Chips are the Best for Braces
Soft potato chips are ideal for your braces. They do not put as much pressure on your braces as the varieties mentioned above. However, you just cannot eat any soft chips. You have to ensure it is soft enough to be eaten without any pain. Similarly, your teeth do not have to cut into them or chew them hard. Even some softer varieties are quite hard and crunchy and that is not good news for your braces.
Similarly, avoid softer chips with too much sugar or salt. They are more irritating and painful for your teeth than regular chips. Furthermore, they can remain in your mouth longer because of the sugar.
What Happens When You Eat Chips with Braces?
Two main things happen when you eat crunchy, hard, and sticky foods such as chips with braces.
Firstly, the food can stuck between the wires. It can lead to problems like the breaking of brackets and gum irritation. You may need emergency treatment from your orthodontist, especially if your braces break off your teeth.
Secondly, the food particles can get stuck between your teeth and braces. It can be quite painful and cause problems like tooth decay and gum irritation, especially in the case of sugary, starchy, or hard food.
You can clean and floss your teeth but it is very difficult to remove the particles from some parts of the mouth no matter how hard you try.
Best Foods to Replace Chips if You Have Braces?
The best foods to replace chips if you have braces are as below.
- Pears, apples, watermelon, bananas, and other sliced fruits
- Applesauce or pudding provided they are not high in sugar
- Muffins, cakes, cookies, and other soft bakery items
- Smoothies
- Frozen yogurt
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you eat lays potato chips with braces?
You should avoid eating lays potato chips with braces. You can break off your bracket by having a bite of these chips. Similarly, smaller pieces of chips can get stuck between your teeth and braces or between wires.
Can you eat tortilla chips with braces?
You cannot eat tortilla chips with braces just like most varieties of chips. They are quite crunchy and thus, very harmful for braces. They may bend the wires or make the brackets break off.
Can you eat kettle chips with braces?
Kettle chips are quite hard and therefore, not ideal to be eaten with braces. Eating them exerts a lot of pressure on your braces. As a result, the bracket can break off or wires can bend.
Can you eat Cheetos with braces?
You can eat this tasty snack albeit very carefully. They are relatively softer than other types of chips. Therefore, you don’t have to chew them hard. However, it is best to eat only eat one Cheetos at a time.
What junk food can you eat with braces?
You can eat any junk food with braces provided it is not crunchy, hard, sugary, or sticky. For example, you can eat baked chips and Pringles as well as burgers and pizzas with soft crusts.
Final Thoughts
You have to be patient and respect the treatment if you have braces. Only eat foods recommended by orthodontics and avoid those that they discourage such as most types of chips.
Your brackets can break off if chips get stuck between the wires. As a result, you may have to visit your orthodontist more often, prolonging the treatment.
It is better to eat only healthy and softer snacks if you have braces. You must take care of your braces to get the best out of your treatment.