Summer Foods That Can Harm Your Braces

Summertime brings longer days of sunshine, fun family vacations, and yummy treats that fit seamlessly into the warmer weather. While you may be excited to chow down on some classic summer sweets, you should be careful that you don’t munch on foods that could potentially wreak havoc on your braces.

Here are several summer foods that you should steer clear of if you don’t want to damage your orthodontics.

Summer Foods to Avoid to Keep Your Braces Safe

Corn on the Cob

Anyone who’s munched on this barbecue staple knows that it’s a messy process. All that chomping down on the cob can cause a bracket to come loose, while corn kernels can easily become lodged behind your wires or in the brackets themselves.

Soda

There’s something about summer that makes us want to indulge in sugary, soft drinks more often. But all that soda can stick to your braces and cause tooth decay. Try to limit how many soft drinks you have in an effort to protect your chompers.

Ribs

Another barbecue staple, ribs, however scrumptious they are, have a tendency to leave stringy pieces of meat in your teeth and around your brackets. Try to stick to burgers or hot dogs — or, if you must indulge in ribs and other fibrous meats, have floss on hands to quickly get rid of any stray strands.

While these summer foods aren’t exactly great for your teeth, it’s alright to indulge every now and then as long as you’re careful to brush and floss shortly after.