ORTHODONTICS
Life with Braces: Care Tips for Richmond Hill Patients
Braces move teeth gradually, so most patients go through a short adjustment period. This page covers what to expect — what to eat, how to manage soreness, and answers to the questions we hear most often.
Richmond Hill Braces: Navigate Life with Clarity
Eating with Braces
Avoid foods that can bend a wire or loosen a bracket: chewy foods (bagels, licorice), crunchy foods (popcorn, chips, ice), sticky foods (caramel, gum), and hard foods (nuts, hard candy). Cut corn off the cob and slice apples instead of biting into them whole.
Softer foods are fine throughout treatment: dairy, bread, cooked grains, tender meats, seafood, cooked vegetables, soft fruit, and desserts like ice cream or soft cake.
Foods to avoid with braces
- Chewy foods — bagels, licorice
- Crunchy foods — popcorn, chips, ice
- Sticky foods — caramel candies, chewing gum
- Hard foods — nuts, hard candies
- Foods that require biting into — corn on the cob, apples, carrots
Foods you CAN eat with braces
- Dairy — soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks
- Breads — soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts
- Grains — pasta, soft cooked rice
- Meats/poultry — soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
- Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
- Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
- Fruits — applesauce, bananas, fruit juice
- Treats — ice cream without nuts, milkshakes, Jell-O, soft cake
Managing Soreness
Mild soreness in the first one to two weeks after braces go on, and for a day or two after each adjustment, is normal. A warm salt water rinse and an over-the-counter pain reliever usually help. Orthodontic wax placed over a bracket or wire can stop it from irritating the inside of the mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Braces move teeth by design, so some looseness during treatment is expected. Teeth stabilize once treatment is complete.
Call the office. A loose wire or band should be checked and fixed by our team rather than at home.
Yes, with a mouthguard made to fit over braces. Ask our office about mouthguard options.
Brush after every meal and floss daily — a floss threader or water flosser helps. Keep up with regular cleanings, since food collects more easily around brackets. |
Questions about your treatment? Contact our Richmond Hill office.
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9:30am – 6:30pm
8:00am – 4:00pm
9:30am – 6:30pm
10:00am – 4:00pm
by appointment only
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