When your braces are placed onto your teeth, you will experience some moderate soreness and eating tough foods such as meats and raw vegetables will cause you some pain. For the first week, you should only eat foods which do not require you to strain your teeth too hard. Over time, this sensitivity will disappear and you will be able to eat just about anything. Just remember that you are eating with your braces so certain foods can actually damage and get caught in them. Try to avoid eating the following foods to eliminate damage to your orthodontic appliances:
- Bagels and hard rolls
- Popcorn
- Gum and Candy (even sugar-free)
- Sticky foods (taffy, caramel, and Skittles)
- Ice
- Apples
- Tough meat (steak)
- Corn on the cob
Certain foods are less likely to damage your braces and wires if you cut them into small pieces rather than biting directly into an apple, for example. And remember, biting your fingernails or chewing on pen caps can also damage your braces!