Getting braces comes with a few sacrifices. From compromising your smile’s aesthetics to slight discomfort, there is much to put up with in order to fight dental malocclusion. One of the horrors of orthodontic treatment is avoiding your comfort food — yes, believe it or not, your teeth have to come first. So, if you are a chips lover, you might be wondering, ‘Can you eat chips with braces?’
When you receive braces, your orthodontist will provide you with a list of food you can and cannot eat. Among the foods to avoid, crunchy and hard food is a big no-no. This is because they can damage the wire as well as lead to broken braces. Since chips come under this category, it is better to steer clear of them.
In this blog, we will explain all about the relationship between chips and braces. Carry on reading to learn more about the foods you should avoid with braces!
Why Can I Not Eat Chips With Braces
While it’s true that nothing can come close to the satisfying crisp of chips, they are not exactly the best snack to have with braces. Therefore, many orthodontists will advise against eating chips if you wear an orthodontic appliance such as braces.
Braces treatment is essential for moving your teeth into proper positions, which helps avoid complications that come with dental malocclusion. However, when your braces come in contact with hard or crunchy snacks, it can affect their structure. As a result, your treatment will be delayed, and you may have to get them repaired.
How Chips Affect Braces Wire
When you are in the early stages of your treatment, the wires in your braces are pretty flexible. Hence, biting down on chips or any hard food item can affect the flexible wires, causing them to bend. This may lead to lasting deformations in your wire as well as break the wire entirely. In short, eating chips, pizza, and other forbidden foods can break and deform your braces.
You may need to visit an orthodontist to fix the braces or get new ones, which will prolong your treatment. Therefore, instead of just diving in and munching on chips, ask your dentist which foods you can eat. Remember: breaking your braces is just not worth a few minutes of eating crunchy chips!
Other than this, the food particles can easily get stuck between the wire of your braces. Or worse: the food becomes lodged between your braces and teeth. And when food is trapped, it can make it challenging to floss or brush them out. The trapped foods turn into plaque, which kickstarts the entire tooth decay process.
Alternatives to Chips You Can Enjoy
If you still want to have chips but do not want to live with the consequences, your orthodontist can help. Talk to your dental specialist about the safe foods to eat with braces, and look for a possible alternative to chips. For instance, you can have baked chips instead of fried ones, ensuring they have a soft consistency and are convenient to eat with braces.
Chips, generally, are considered okay to eat if they have softer consistency and break into large pieces. Chips and salty snacks your orthodontist might suggest include baked chips, cheese puffs, kale chips, veggie sticks, and more. But remember, do not try anything before consulting your dentist!
Conclusion
In simple words, you cannot eat chips with braces because they can bend and deform the wire, leading to breakage. Moreover, the food debris can become stuck between wires or between braces and teeth, leading to tooth decay as well as discomfort. For clear instructions on proper aftercare and effective braces treatment, contact Adventure Orthodontics at (281) 353-5556. You can also visit us at 17718 Kuykendahl Rd, Spring, TX 77379, United States.