How to Avoid Getting Food in Your Braces

Medically reviewed by Cristian Macau, DDS

Last Updated: June 22, 2023 References

When you are out all day at school and work, you don't want to worry about how much food will be stuck in your braces by the time you get home. There are simple, quick ways to get food out of your braces, or to avoid getting food in them altogether. There are a few steps you can take to keep your braces food-free all day long.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Practicing Good Oral Hygiene

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1
Maintain a balanced diet. One of the best ways to keep food out of your braces is to eat a balanced, healthy diet because this automatically eliminates a lot of problematic foods (like sticky candy).^{[1]
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- A balanced diet also means less sugar. Sugar causes plaque to form around braces, which can grab food while you eat.
2
Cut food into smaller pieces. A key to eating what you want without getting food stuck in your braces is to cut it up. Don't bite into carrots or apples or corn on the cob (which can damage your braces anyway), but instead cut corn off the cob or cut uncooked produce into bite-size pieces.
- Place these smaller pieces at the back of your mouth so that you can chew with your back teeth.^{[2]
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- Avoid tearing food apart with your front teeth, where any particles can easily get stuck.
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Eating slowly and carefully will not only alert you more quickly to food particles that snag on braces, but it will also prevent food from accumulating on your braces in the first place. Eating slowly allows you to get a feel for how the food is interacting with your braces.^{[3]
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4
Brush after meals. For the best oral hygiene, brush your teeth four times a day, once after each meal and once right before bed. Such frequent brushing is bound to get food particles out of your braces, especially the pieces that didn't come off using other techniques like a toothpick.^{[4]
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- Carry a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse or pockets in order to keep up good oral hygiene while you're out.
- If you let plaque remain on your teeth by not brushing, it can leave stains on your teeth and cause inflamed gums, which may lead to spontaneous bleeding.
- Your dentist may also tell you to use a fluoride mouthwash to further break down plaque.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Removing Food in Your Braces

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1
Carry a pocket mirror. If you're going out to eat with other people, you'll want to have a way to check your braces discreetly. It's nice to have your own mirror in case you feel a piece of food, or someone points out something in your braces, so that you don't have to leave in search of a mirror.
- It's also good to check your braces in the pocket mirror quickly before engaging in conversation after the meal.
2
Check your braces for food. You can do a braces check for embarrassing food particles with a pocket mirror, your tongue, or your finger. All of these can be done discreetly and quickly to minimize social awkwardness.
- Pull out your pocket mirror and glance down at it without drawing attention to yourself.
- Run your tongue over your braces to feel for large food particles while someone else is talking.
- Pull a napkin over your mouth and run one finger over the most visible parts of your braces to check for large food pieces.
3
Keep a napkin handy. Every time you go out to eat, snatch a napkin and keep it on your lap. You can use it as a shield for discreetly checking your braces during the meal.
- Hold the napkin up as a visual barrier with one hand and get food out with the other hand.
4
Swish water in your mouth. Water can act as a rinse for your braces. Always order a glass of water with your meal. Then simply pull a gulp of water into your mouth and quickly swish it around while you eat.
- Do this while someone else is talking so that the focus is not on you.
- Swishing water around like this repeatedly throughout a meal will go a long way toward keeping food from sticking to your braces.
- Some dentists recommend rinsing with warm water throughout the day.
5
Carry toothpicks. Toothpicks are an easy remedy for large, obvious food particles when you're out with friends. Keeping a stash of toothpicks in a sealed bag on your person will help you quickly dig out stubborn pieces of food that you find during or after a meal.
- Only use toothpicks to get food out from behind wires and do not apply too much force or you risk detaching the bracket or bending the wire.^{[5]
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  Research source} Be careful to avoid using the toothpick between teeth to remove food since this can damage your teeth.
- You can use a toothpick to clear blocked braces while sitting at the table by using a napkin as a shield.
- Otherwise, go to the bathroom and use the mirror there to locate and eradicate food particles with a toothpick.
6
Purchase an interdental toothbrush. Also called a proxabrush, this little brush is shaped like a tiny pipe cleaner and is much more effective than toothpicks. It fits easily into a purse or pocket. This more specialized tool can help you get more out of your braces than your finger as well.^{[6]
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- Use it to clear food particles out from behind wires.
- You can find interdental toothbrushes at most big box stores.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Choosing the Best Foods for Braces

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1
Pick soft foods. Soft foods help prevent damage to your braces, but they don't get much food stuck in your braces, either. Saying no to hard foods like hard candy and whole apples will prevent a difficult cleaning session later in the day. Choose foods like these:
- Dairy —Yogurt, soft cheeses
- Bread —Slices of soft bread, pancakes, soft tortillas
- Grains —Pasta, rice
- Meat —Cooked meats, lunch meat
- Seafood —Most dinner fish like salmon and tilapia
- Cooked vegetables
- Mashable fruits —Bananas, applesauce
- Soups
2
Avoid hard foods. Some hard foods are healthy, but that doesn't mean you should eat them, at least not if you are looking to keep food out of your braces. Even apples and carrots should not be eaten whole when you want to keep food out of your braces. Unhealthy hard foods — like hard candy — should always be on your “no eat” list. Stay away from foods like these:^{[7]
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- Nuts
- Hard candy
- Chips
- Whole apples
- Raw carrots
- Hard crusty bread
- Ice
- Bagels
3
Eat less sugar. Sugar gets stuck in your braces, even though it's invisible. When it does, it causes tooth decay from plaque build-up around the braces, and the potential for further damage like staining.^{[8]
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Research source} To help keep sugar from getting trapped in your braces, avoid sugary foods like these:
- Candy
- Chocolate
- Baked goods
- Sweetened yogurt
- Sugary syrups
4
Say no to sticky food. One of the worst culprits for getting food stuck in your braces is sticky food. Not only does sticky food gravitate toward your braces, getting lodged behind the wires, it's often also sugary and can spell a plaque build-up disaster for your teeth. Here are some sticky foods to avoid:^{[9]
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- Toffee
- Licorice
- Hard candy
- Caramels
- Tootsie rolls
- All gum (even sugar free)
5
Drink sugar-free drinks. While you do need to take a big drink of something during a meal to keep food out of your braces, if that beverage has sugar in it, you're just washing away food only to give your braces some bacteria-building material to hang onto. To keep your teeth free of decay-causing bacteria, follow every meal or snack with water.^{[10]
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- If you absolutely have to, you may drink a sugary drink once a week if it is followed by water, which can pull any leftover sugar molecules away before they make purchase with plaque.
- Sugary drinks include: sweet tea, sports drinks, Kool-Aid, and soda.

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Tips

Keep your mouth shut after eating, just until you can either take a peek at your pocket mirror or make it to the bathroom to check your braces.

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If you're with a good friend or someone in your family and you're going somewhere afterward just ask them if you have any food in your braces.

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