CAN I EAT POPCORN WITH BRACES?
“Braces are temporary, but a healthy, happy smile is forever”, your dentist may say that to you when you walk in for an appointment. Braces are used to improve oral health and align the teeth.
When you go to the movies with your family or friends, you may want to get a bucket of popcorn to complete the feeling of ” Netflix and chilling”. But can you eat popcorn when you have your braces on? No is the simple answer. You shouldn’t eat popcorn when you have your braces on.
Why? Read on to find out.
In this article, information will be provided on:
– Can I eat Popcorn with Braces
– Food you should avoid when you have braces
– An alternative to popcorn
– What to do when you eat popcorn with braces.
CAN I EAT POPCORN WITH BRACES?
When you have braces on your teeth, popcorn automatically becomes one of the foods you should not eat or snack on.
This is because popcorn usually comes with hulls and these hulls get stuck in your teeth, although you can get rid of them by using a toothpick or a floss to pick them out, or even by brushing, when these hulls get stuck in your braces, they may stay hidden between the wires of your braces, making it difficult to be picked out.
Aside from that, these hulls can cause pain in your gums and even break your braces. So no, if you want those healthy teeth and a beautiful smile, during the period you have your braces on, you should avoid popcorn.
CAN I EAT POPCORN WITH BRACES? WHAT ABOUT HULL-LESS POPCORN: ARE THEY THE BEST?
Since the hulls of popcorn are the reason you should avoid eating popcorn when you have your braces, you may begin to wonder if popcorn is safe to be eaten if they no longer have their hulls?
A lot of people say it is a safe alternative because there is a lesser chance that it will get stuck between your braces.
However, health care professionals don’t seem to agree with this view, even though no clinical studies are proving if it is safe to eat hull-less popcorn with your braces on, or if it isn’t safe.
Feel free to ask your orthodontist for his opinion on this.
FOODS TO AVOID WHEN YOU HAVE BRACES
Aside from popcorn, there are other foods and snacks you shouldn’t eat when you have your braces, this is because these foods will cause damage to your braces.
But you don’t want that to happen and neither does your orthodontist, so here is a list of foods your orthodontist might recommend you to check off your menu list:
Hard Candy: Hard candies can pop off the brackets and bend the wires of your braces. Also, pieces of it can get stuck under and around your braces where cleaning can be difficult.
Hard Food and Chewy Foods: Nuts, bagels, pizza crusts, and thick pretzels may bend the wires and pop off the brackets of your braces. Some vegetables like carrots, corn on the cob, and even apples can cause damage to your braces.
Acidic Beverages: Acidic beverages like soft drinks, energy drinks, lemonade, and sports drinks are hard on teeth with braces. Drinking acidic beverages when you have your braces on will result in the appearance of white spots on your teeth when braces have been removed.
The white spot is because the enamel has lost its important minerals because of the acidic drink, paving way for bacteria to cause cavities in your teeth.
Ice Cubes: Generally, chewing ice is dangerous to the teeth, but it becomes particularly dangerous when you chew ice with your braces on, this will lead to the breaking of the bracket of your braces and even moving a wire.
AN ALTERNATIVE TO POPCORN
While there are foods and snacks you should avoid when you have braces, there are other safe and yummy alternatives, such as:
- Kale chips
- Soft baked muffins and cookies
- Cheese slices
- Soft crackers
- Yoghurt
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Soft chocolate
- Sliced fruits and vegetables
- Strawberry
- Soups
- Smoothies
- Oatmeal
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU EAT POPCORN WITH BRACES ON
Two things are likely to happen when you eat popcorn or any of the foods not recommended with braces:
1) You put your teeth at risk of getting decayed due to the food that hides between your braces and cannot be removed when you floss or brush.
2) You can damage your braces, so the aim of putting them on in the first place is not achieved.
Regardless, some people just can’t resist the urge to eat popcorn. In that case, here are a few tips that can help you avoid either damaging your braces or getting tooth decay:
— Eat very slowly and be extremely careful to avoid it sticking in between your braces.
— Do not forget to brush and floss regularly to clean any small piece you can find.
It is difficult to have to miss out on your favorite foods because of your braces, but the sooner you have healthy teeth, the better.
So instead of taking chances and eating popcorn with your braces, which might end up breaking, then you’ll have to redo the process, it is best to be patient for the short period you are to wear your braces. Remember, “braces are temporary, but a healthy, happy smile is forever”.