You just got your braces on, and the last thing you want to do is give up your favorite snack – chips!
Chips can actually be pretty dangerous for your braces and can cause some serious damage. Chips are hard, and can easily break your brackets or wires. They can also get stuck in between your teeth, which can be very painful. It’s always best to avoid chips while wearing braces because they can damage the bracket and cause your treatment to be prolonged.
You only need to stay away from them for 1–2 years, depending on how long your treatment lasts. You can eat whatever you want once your braces are off. So try to be patient and avoid chips while you have braces!
Eating chips with braces can be tricky, but it’s definitely possible! Just be careful and take some precautions to avoid damaging your braces. With a little bit of effort, you can still enjoy your favorite snack without fear of damaging your braces.
Reasons to Avoid Chips With Braces
Chips are one of the most popular foods to avoid while undergoing orthodontic treatment with braces. While wearing braces, you should avoid eating any hard or crunchy foods. Some reasons are:
- They can break your brackets or wires. Chips like Fritos, Doritos, Tostitos, Cheetos, Takis, pretzels, and other hard breads, as well as pretzels and other hard breads, might damage your wire and cause your brackets to break.
- Chips can get stuck in between your teeth, which can be very painful.
- Eating chips can prolong your treatment time.
- They are hard and crunchy.
- Chips put pressure on the braces by biting force.
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How to Eat Chips With Braces?
If you can’t resist eating chips while wearing braces, then there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of damaging your braces.
Here are some tips on how to eat chips with braces:
- Break the chips into smaller pieces. This will help to avoid putting too much pressure on your braces.
- Soften the chips in water for a few minutes to soften them up before eating.
- Take your time and chew slowly and carefully to avoid breaking your braces.
- Sticky chips like Cheetos can be very difficult to remove from your braces and can cause damage. Avoid them.
- Eat one at a time instead of a mouthful. This will prevent overcrowding in the mouth.
Which Chips Can Be Eaten With Braces?
When you have braces, chips with a softer consistency that break into larger pieces are safer to eat. And chips that are baked rather than fried, have a softer texture (and less of a crunch), so these can also be eaten with braces.
Some chips or snacks that you can eat with braces on are kale chips, cajun sweet potato chips, pringles, carrot chips, blue corn chips, etc.
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Chips That Cannot Be Eaten With Braces
Chips that are hard and crunchy, as well as sticky chips, can be very difficult to eat with braces. These types of chips can cause damage to your braces and can prolong your treatment time.
Some examples of chips that you should avoid are:
- Cheetos
- Doritos
- Tostitos
- Pretzels
- Ruffles
- Lays
- Potato chips
- Kettle chips
Alternatives To Chips With Braces
If you’re looking for something to snack on that’s safe for braces, there are plenty of options. Here are some alternatives to chips that you can eat with braces:
- Popcorn
- Pita chips
- Tortilla chips
- Graham crackers
What Happens When You Eat Chips With Braces?
Braces (brackets) are not unbreakable, and they can fall out. If a significant enough force is applied to them, the “glue” that holds them to your teeth may be compromised, and they will fall out. If a brace comes loose, you’ll need to have it re-glued, and your treatment will take longer.
Especially in the early stages of your braces treatment, the wires in your mouth are really flexible. So eating hard and crunchy foods such as chips at this time will bend these light and flexible wires, causing irreversible deformations or even break them.
Also, the brackets that are glued to your teeth can become detached from the tooth surface if you eat crunchy foods.
If you can’t resist eating chips with braces, be extra careful and take precautions to avoid damaging your braces. Eating chips with braces can be tricky, but it’s definitely possible.
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Recipe for Eating Chips With Braces
When you cannot manage your temptation to eat chips, baked options are preferable. And it’s even nicer if it’s a DIY or homemade chip. You can plan in a way that will cause the least amount of difficulties to your braces.
Here’s a recipe for baked sweet potato chips;
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs of sweet potatoes, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper.
Method: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, salt, black pepper, and dried rosemary.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into paper-thin rounds with a mandolin slicer. Toss the sliced sweet potatoes in the bowl to coat.
Place the sweet potato slices on the baking sheets in a single layer, leaving space around them. Bake for 10-12 minutes per side, flipping once, until brown. Remove from the oven and cool the sweet potato chips for 5-10 minutes on cooling racks. As they cool, they will crisp up even more.
Source: deliciousmeetshealthy.com
Why Are Baked Chips Allowed With Braces?
As we said before, it is better to eat baked chips since they are softer and will not damage your braces as much. Baked chips are a healthier option in general, as they contain less fat.
You can try baked chips such as baked kale chips, oven-baked carrot chips, baked zucchini chips, and many others. These chips are not only safe for your braces compared to traditional ones but are also healthy.
Conclusion
When it comes to chips, we know that it can be hard to resist the temptation, but it is definitely worth it to take care of your braces and have a healthy snack instead.
Overall, it is best to avoid eating chips when you have braces. However, if you can’t resist your cravings, there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of damaging your braces.
By following the tips in this blog post, you can still enjoy your chips without harming your braces.
