Most people who wear braces would say that eating is hard, tricky, or sometimes even painful. People who say such are usually on the traditional metal braces treatment, the most common treatment for teeth straightening. Metal braces are complicated – they both help and hurt you at the same time. Corn on the cob? Biting into it might damage your brackets. Big, fat, juicy steak? OK, if you can tolerate the pain. Some people are willing to pay a painful price for a valuable asset: a healthy and perfect smile. However, to get this is to protect your braces, as damaged braces will take you longer time to endure them.

THE METAL BRACES DIET

“Soft food everywhere”

Soft food is a must for people wearing braces. Thus, the following must be strictly observed:

CARBOHYDRATES

•    Stick to soft bread such as plain white bread or wheat bread for healthier options. Avoid hard breads such as bagels or pizza crusts.

•    Enjoy cooked pasta. It is best to stay away from meals with uncooked pasta (Dry noodles) for a while.

•    Eat rice and mashed potatoes.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

•    Make sure fruits are soft before munching into them. The best ones include ripe mangoes, ripe papayas, or bananas. Limit snacking on apples and other fruits you have to bite into.

•    Steam vegetables before eating them to make sure they are soft to eat. Refrain from eating raw carrots and turnips for a while.

FISH, EGGS, AND DAIRY

•    Fish fillets are very safe to eat. Not only they are healthy; they are soft, delicious, and easy to eat, too.

•    Eggs can be eaten poached, fried, or hard-boiled.

•    Milk, yogurt, and soft cheese are good alternatives to hard meat.

MEAT, POULTRY, AND DRY BEANS

•    Stay away from dried meat such as beef jerky.

•    Observe caution when eating hard meat like steak or any grilled or fried pork or beef.

•    Choose chicken or turkey over pork or beef.

•    Meatloaf is preferable as an alternative to cooked meat but eat processed food sparingly.

•    Limit eating nuts and dry beans.

FATS, OILS, AND SWEETS

•    Fats, oils, and sweets must always be taken in small quantities, for people with or without braces.

•    Eat soft desserts such as cake or ice cream.

For people wearing braces, observing what to eat and limiting yourself to what you can and cannot eat can be frustrating. People either follow precautions for faster treatment or just simply opt for alternatives which allow them to enjoy the benefit of teeth straightening without too much disadvantages.

Invisalign, an alternative to the metal braces treatment, effectively straightens teeth while allowing you to eat whatever food you enjoy. Unlike metal braces, Invisalign is also virtually invisible and removable, allowing users to maximize its benefits to get that healthy and perfect smile – with a less painful and frustrating cost.