If you are considering getting braces or you already have them on, not only is it incredibly important to know how to care for them but you should also know what kind of foods you should eat and what kind you should avoid. You’re probably wondering why you should avoid some foods and if you can eat potato chips with braces.
It’s a bummer that the majority of the foods you should avoid are favorites – but would you rather eat your favorites and have to wear the braces for much longer than you need to? In this article, we will be discussing different types of chips that could be good or bad for your braces.
Can You Eat Potato Chips with Braces?
No, you cannot eat potato chips with braces. It is highly recommended to avoid hard or crunchy foods when you have braces on, and that includes chips. They could cause the brackets of your braces to break or the wires could get bent. This is not to say that all chips are bad for your braces. Baked chips tend to have a softer consistency, are less crunchy, and break into larger pieces, which means you can have them with braces on without having to worry.
Fried chips on the other hand are super crunchy and hard and they will damage your braces. We recommend taking any snack one at a time as opposed to handfuls because even a handful of baked chips could damage your braces. Some of the chips you are allowed to have with braces are pringles, carrot chips, veggie sticks, cheese puffs, baked chips, kale chips, and sweet potato fries. Some chips you should avoid with braces are fried potato chips, Cheetos, kettle-cooked chips, hard-baked crackers like cheez-its, and tortilla chips.
Some decent snack replacements for chips that won’t damage your braces are cheese slices, smoothies, frozen yogurt, sliced fruit, low sugar pudding, and soft baked goodies.
Can You Eat Lays Chips with Braces?
No, you cannot eat lays chips with braces. Lays chips are known to be really hard and crunchy and it is important to avoid those kinds of foods when you have braces on because they can cause the wires and brackets of your braces to come off or break. Chips like lays chips, potato chips, Cheetos, kettle-cooked chips, hard-baked crackers like cheez-its, and tortilla chips should be avoided if you have braces on.
If you must have hard crunchy chips, then you would need to find a way to make them soft or crush them and eat the crumbs.
Can I Eat Pringles with Braces?
Yes, you can eat pringles with braces. Pringles is one of the “allowed” chips for people with braces. They are softer, less crunchy, and gentler on the teeth. They also break into larger pieces which makes them less likely to get stuck in your braces. It is also important to take them one at a time and chew slowly so you don’t end up breaking a bracket.
Can You Eat Tortilla Chips with Braces?
No, you cannot eat tortilla chips with braces. This is one of the hard and crunchy chips you should avoid if you have braces on because they could damage the brackets and wires. If you can get the soft tortilla, then you can have that. You can also choose to have a homemade tortilla so that you can fully control it.
Can You Eat Chips and Salsa with Braces?
Yes, you can have baked, less crunchy chips and salsa with braces. The usual combo is tortilla chips and salsa, but tortilla chips are terrible for braces. So you can opt for soft tortilla, pita bread or replace them with another type of chips – preferable baked and less crunchy – to protect your braces while enjoying the tasty goodness of salsa. There are some other foods you can pair with salsa. For example chicken or scrambled eggs.
Read also: Can You Eat Cereal with Braces?
Can You Eat Sun Chips with Braces?
No, you cannot eat sun chips with braces. Sun chips are just as hard and crunchy as potato or tortilla chips, they are also large-sized chips that will put too much force on your braces when you bite into them. It is generally advisable to steer clear of hard, crunch, sticky, or chewy foods when you have braces on.
How To Eat Chips With Braces
The best way to eat hard or crunchy chips is to crush them into very small pieces so they just melt into your mouth and require little to no chewing. This would stop them from breaking or damaging your braces. You can also boil them if you want to make them softer and less crunchy. Another option would be to opt for less crunchy chips like pringles or other baked chips.
Read also: Can You Eat Crunchy, crispy chicken and Beef Burgers with Braces?
Conclusion
The major concern with eating potato chips with braces is the damage they could cause to your brackets and wires. The more these get damaged, the more you have to visit the hospital to get them replaced, the more money you would have to spend and the longer your treatment. Knowing the things you should and should not eat could make or break your treatment.
