Life With Braces At a Glance
Braces work best when daily habits support the treatment plan. Food choices, cleaning routines, repair advice, and retainer planning all affect how smoothly treatment runs.
Use this guide alongside your clinician's instructions, especially if a bracket loosens, a wire rubs, or cleaning becomes difficult.
What You Can and Can't Eat With Braces
Certain foods can damage brackets or wires or make them harder to keep clean. Adjusting what you eat during treatment helps keep everything on track and avoids unnecessary repair appointments.
Foods to Eat
Soft bread and pasta
Cooked vegetables
Soft fruit (banana, melon, berries)
Dairy — yoghurt, cheese, soft dairy
Eggs, fish, soft meat cut into small pieces
Soup, mashed potato, porridge
Soft rice and grains
Foods to Avoid
Hard foods — nuts, hard sweets, ice
Chewy foods — chewing gum, toffee, caramel
Crunchy snacks — crisps, popcorn, hard biscuits
Foods bitten into directly — apples, corn on the cob, crusty bread
Fizzy drinks and sugary foods (increase decay risk)
Hard crusts and bagels
How to Clean Your Teeth With Braces
Good oral hygiene is especially important during orthodontic treatment. Brackets and wires create more surfaces for plaque and food to accumulate, so cleaning needs to be more thorough than usual.
Brush After Every Meal
Brush your teeth and braces after every meal — ideally within 30 minutes of eating. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Angle the brush at 45 degrees to the gumline and clean above and below the wire separately.
Use Interdental Brushes
Interdental brushes (also called TePe brushes or proxy brushes) are small bottle-brush shaped tools that fit between brackets and under the wire. They are more effective than standard floss for cleaning around brackets.
Floss Daily
Threading floss under the wire is time-consuming but important for gum health. Floss threaders or orthodontic floss can make this easier. Water flossers are also an effective alternative.
Use a Fluoride Mouthwash
A daily fluoride mouthwash helps to protect enamel around the brackets and reduce the risk of white spot lesions — permanent marks on the teeth that can occur if plaque accumulates around the bracket base.
Managing Discomfort and Brace Problems
Not sure where to start? Use these quick links to explore orthodontic treatments, typical costs, and helpful guides that explain what different options involve. Whether you're researching braces or clear aligners, comparing pricing, or just getting a feel for what comes next, you can browse at your own pace and come back when you're ready to request a quote.
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