Can i eat jerky with braces

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Can i eat jerky with braces


"No-No" Foods (for braces ONLY)

Eating these foods will loosen the braces, delaying both treatment and improvement of faces. So avoid these foods, whether girl or boy, for your new healthy smile will give us all joy. The braces won't last forever you know, and when it's all over..."Yes-Yes" not "No-No." Brush after eating whenever you can, rinse with clean water if no brush is at hand.

Braces

Can i eat jerky with braces

  1. The crust of the pizza is the best part, but it's the place where the bent wires start.
  2. Hard rolls, pretzels, bagels & bones, knock off brackets & wires, so leave them alone.
  3. Doritos & tacos and all of the rest, will form a hard ball and make your braces a mess.
  4. Popcorn and the movies are fun for us all, but the pain that it causes is no fun at all.
  5. Nuts are always very tasty too, but we'll have to say, "no nuts to you."
  6. Beef jerky & Slim Jims are fun to eat, but for wrecking your braces they're hard to beat.
  7. Ribs & meats that are on the bone, are the kinds of foods you should leave alone.
  8. Raw carrots and rabbits go together well, but the damage they cause is easy to tell.
  9. Suckers are always a sweet delight, but they'll damage your braces if you ever bite.
  10. Caramel candy & jelly beans are a gooey mess and lots of fun, but they'll pull off your brackets before you are done!
  11. Sugary gum is fun to chew, but only sugarless gum for you.
  12. Pens & pencils are food for thought, but think of the havoc that can be wrought.
  13. Lemons will eat your teeth away, but lemonade or juice in tea is OK.
  14. Ice is nice in the heat we all know, but it destroys your braces, so a thousand times, "no."

Invisalign®

Can i eat jerky with braces

With Invisalign, you can enjoy all of your favorite foods! Just make sure you remove your aligners for a maximum of 15 minutes only when eating. Once you have finished eating, we recommend that you rinse your mouth with water before reinserting your Invisalign aligners.


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Beef Jerky is a basic popular snack enjoyed by many, but they’re not suitable for those who wear dental aligners. The texture is simply too hard on teeth to be considered safe. The Jerky made from beef can cause the bands to break, leading to unwelcome visits to the dentist.

Beef jerky is a delicious and easy snack choice. This is an extremely lean and slim animal that has been cut of fat cut into strips. Then, it was dried. Beef jerky is among the most difficult food items to consume with braces and simply isn’t a good idea in the least.

While wearing braces, you need to stay clear of foods that could become stuck or trapped within your braces. The tough or stringy meats are definitely not recommended.

It’s simply not worth it since it could damage your braces, sending the patient back to the dentist for adjustments, and could also affect the progression of your orthodontic treatment.

Sweets with a sticky texture can cause serious health issues, so they should not be consumed. Other sticky food items could be difficult to wash out.

Tough food Foods that are tough, like meats that require a certain amount of force to tear, must be avoided—for instance, beef jerky, as mentioned above.

We tend to forget that it isn’t just things we chew or chew. You should get rid of any habit you’ve developed when it comes to chewing objects you hold.

It may require a little more time and care and care, but it’s worth it for the look that people will envy when the braces are removed.

If you are a fan of beef Jerky as much, it’s undoubtedly one of the food items that you shouldn’t eat when wearing braces.

Eating with braces can be tricky. Braces help us to have better teeth and more beautiful smiles in the long run. But in the short run, they can make it a little harder to practice a good oral health routine. Brushing and flossing are more difficult, and you need to be aware of what foods to avoid with braces.

So, if a trip to the orthodontist is in your future, you might consider a few changes towards a “braces friendly” diet.

Ask the Orthodontist: What Are Some Foods to Avoid with Braces?

There are two categories of foods you should know about if you have, or are getting, braces:

  1. Foods that you should cut down on and avoid when possible
  2. Food that you should straight out eliminate from your diet while wearing braces.

You Should Probably Eliminate This From Your Diet

There are some foods that are outright no-no’s when you have braces:

  • Hard Candy – Not only is the sugar bad for your teeth and braces but you’ll be tempted to chew the treat, which might ruin your brackets or wires.
  • Sticky Foods – Sticky foods will tend to get caught in your braces and make cleaning a nightmare. Gum and caramel are the worst culprits, but you should also avoid peanut butter, maple syrup, and similar items.
  • Inedibles – Many people unconsciously chew on pens or bite their fingernails, both of which can damage braces.

All that said, many treats are bad for your teeth even without braces, especially when the holidays roll around. Having braces might be an opportunity to make some much-needed changes to your diet!

Foods To Avoid With Braces

There are some foods that are not off-limits per se, but that you should either avoid or be careful eating. For example:

  • Other Hard Foods (Besides Candy) – This includes everything from harder types of bread – like pizza crust –  to nuts, to vegetables like raw carrots. Since they require so much force to bite through, they can damage your wires and brackets. Cook raw vegetables so they are soft. If you must eat a hard of bread, consider softening it with broth or sauce.
  • Tough Meats – Snacks like beef jerky can loosen the wires and brackets of your braces. The same can happen with poorly cooked beef or pork, so be careful when consuming these meats.
  • Ice – Ice in your drink is OK, even sucking on ice chips. But DO NOT bite or chew ice; This is probably the most common culprit when it comes to damaged braces.

Finally, there are some foods that are fine to eat with braces, but you should probably take a minute to cut them into much smaller pieces. Those include:

  • Raw vegetables and fruits
  • Croutons
  • “Bulky” breads: French/Italian bread, hard rolls etc.
  • Pizza
  • Meat

Remember, it only takes one bad bite to damage your braces and compromise your orthodontic treatment. Would the cost of repairing those braces be worth one snack?

Foods That Are OK with Your Braces

Many foods are OK to eat with braces. In general, you will want foods that are softer in texture, especially for that period right after having your braces tightened.

Soft foods for braces include:

  • Soft Fruits – Grapefruits, nectarines, kiwi, tangerines
  • Vegetables – Steam helps them soften
  • Dairy Products – Yogurt and cheese are good alternatives to tough meat
  • Soft Meats – Tender chicken, turkey, meatloaf, lunch meat, seafood
  • Deserts – Pudding, applesauce, smoothies, ice cream
  • Soft Grains – Cooked pasta, cooked rice
  • Soft Breads – Tortillas, biscuits, muffins, pancakes
  • Eggs – Another good alternative to tough meats, especially breakfast foods like bacon

Pay Attention to Nutrition!

Remember, your braces are not a diet! According to a paper in the Journal of Innovative Dentistry, patients with braces often tend to miss key nutrients in their diet because they are avoiding certain foods, especially in the period after braces get tightened.

Don’t let that be you! Make sure that you are getting your daily dose of protein, fiber, calcium, and iron from the foods you eat. The list above will help.

Take it a Step Further: Strengthening Tooth Enamel

The brackets for your braces are cemented onto the surface of your teeth, which is called the enamel. The stronger your enamel, the better your braces will stick to your teeth and stay strong. Keeping the area around the brackets clean and clear of food will also help preserve your teeth and your braces.

So, consider adding the following to your “braces diet”:

  • Calcium-rich foods – Milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy are the obvious go-to here. But broccoli, kale, okra, and tofu are on the menu too. (Almonds have calcium, but they are food to avoid with braces, given how hard they are.)
  • Protein-rich foods – Soft meats, tofu, eggs, and beans are all good. A protein shake would also work and can make for a tasty breakfast. Avoid hard nuts and tough meat!
  • Cheese – Besides being a good source of calcium, cheese can help reduce the acidity in your mouth, a prime cause of tooth decay and irritation in people with braces. Plus, most cheese is nice and soft!
  • Sugar-Free Candy– Sugar-free gum is a bad idea – see sticky foods, above – but an occasional sugar-free candy can help promote saliva production, which supports the growth of positive bacteria in your mouth.

“In addition to maintaining good quality enamel, we don’t want patients eating anything that might damage or bend a wire or bracket, or cause the bracket to pop of the tooth. So the basic rule is to avoid all things that are hard and/or sticky!” Dr. Larry J. Moray

Get More Braces Advice from MyOrthodontist

Wearing braces can be hard, whether you are a kid or an adult. But protecting your teeth and eating the right kinds of foods, can make all the difference down the road.

That’s not the only tricky thing about braces, however. We understand that you might have more questions or concerns. MyOrthodontist is here to help you.

So, whether you are considering getting braces or already have them, feel free to reach out to us. We would be glad to answer your questions. Or, if you would like to speak with an orthodontic specialist in person, look up the North Carolina location nearest you.

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Can I eat Slim Jims with braces?

Avoid Our "Ten Biggest Brace Breakers"! Chewing on straws or biting fingernails can cause damage as well, and avoid Beef jerky, Slim Jims and sugary Bubble gum of any kind (you may chew sugar-free gum, it is softer and designed not to stick to or break dental work and/or orthodontic appliances).

Can I eat hard meat with braces?

People wearing braces should opt for lean, tender cuts of meat that are cut into bite-sized pieces that can be chewed with the back teeth. Tougher and more fibrous cuts of meat can become caught in braces and teeth and become difficult to remove. Also, the extra chewing can loosen bands (if present) around molars.

Can you eat beef jerky with Invisalign?

Here's what not to eat with Invisalign attachments: Really chewy foods, including beef jerky and hard, chewy bagels (tear bagels into small pieces instead)

Can you eat bacon jerky with braces?

Foods To Avoid With Braces There are some foods that are not totally off limits, but you should try to avoid them or be very careful eating them. They include pizza crust, nuts, and raw carrots, and tough meats such as bacon and beef jerky.