What should you avoid to eat while wearing an orthodontic device ?

WEARING RINGS

Foods that are too hard (crust of bread, baguette, apple or carrot to eat, candy, etc.) or too sticky (caramel, chewing gum, etc.): the “rings” are stuck in a “fragile” way on the teeth to be able to deposit them easily the day the treatment is finished. Foods that are too hard or too sticky, and in general any object put in the mouth (pen, nails), can quickly peel off the rings and damage the device. You must avoid damaging your device so as not to waste time in your treatment.

WEARING GUTTERS

Do not eat or drink sugary or colored foods (tea, coffee, curry, etc.), which if they get stuck between the teeth and the aligners can stain the teeth or cause cavities. Ditto for hot food which can distort these gutters made of heat sensitive plastic. In short, you should always eat without your aligners except to drink cold water, and put clean aligners on clean teeth.

When an orthodontic appliance is present on the teeth, food will be retained and more difficult to eliminate. If brushing and feeding are not adapted, the bacteria go from the sugar that they are allowed to produce acids which will cause a gradual destruction of the tooth enamel, ultimately causing stains (incipient caries) or cavities (advanced cavities) which will require treatment by a dental surgeon.

In order to maintain healthy teeth throughout your orthodontic treatment, it is therefore essential to apply the advice of your orthodontist in order to effectively remove dental plaque (bacteria and food deposited on the surface of the teeth, in contact with the appliance) after each meal, and limit your food intake to 3 meals per day (or 4 meals with a snack, for children), with between meals only pure water (avoid snacking).