What to Eat (and Avoid) When You Have Braces

Getting braces doesn't sentence you to months of soup and smoothies. Most patients adapt within a week and quickly learn the small adjustments that keep brackets safe and meals enjoyable.

The foods to skip are the predictable culprits: anything sticky (caramel, gum, taffy), anything hard enough to snap a bracket (ice, hard candy, popcorn kernels, raw carrots), and anything you'd bite directly into with your front teeth — apples and corn on the cob are best sliced or cut from the cob.

What you absolutely can enjoy: pasta, soft breads, eggs, fish, tender meats, ripe fruit, cheese, yogurt, smoothies, ice cream, and almost everything in between. The first 48 hours after each adjustment may feel tender — that's the time to lean on softer options and skip the steak.