Eating, sport and everyday life with a brace
The rules are short. Keeping to them still takes willpower.
With a fixed brace, less changes than most people fear – but a few things really do change, and ignoring them costs appointments.
What is better kept out of your mouth
Hard things to bite into: apples, carrots, bread crusts, baguette, nuts. Not forbidden – just cut them into small pieces first. Sticky things: caramel, chewing gum, liquorice, dried fruit. They pull brackets off. Frequent sugar: not because of the brace, but because cleaning is harder and plaque stays in place longer. Sugary drinks are the bigger problem here, more than a piece of cake.
With an aligner
The aligner is taken out for eating – so every restriction disappears. In return: brush after eating, then put the aligner back in. With the aligner in, only water may be drunk; sugar under the aligner acts for hours, and hot drinks deform the plastic.
Sport
Normal sport is no problem. For contact sports – handball, basketball, martial arts, hockey – a mouthguard is part of it, and one that fits over the brackets. The practice can fit one. A blow to a fixed brace injures the lip and cheek considerably more than a blow to bare teeth.
Musical instruments
Wind instruments feel unfamiliar at first with a fixed brace, brass players most of all. The embouchure usually adjusts within a few weeks. Mention it before treatment starts – for professional musicians it can influence the choice of appliance.
The key points at a glance
- Cut hard things into small pieces first, avoid sticky things, less sugar in between – especially in drinks.
- With an aligner there are no restrictions on eating. With the aligner in, only water is drunk.
- For contact sports, a mouthguard that fits over the brackets is essential.
- Wind instruments feel unfamiliar at first. Raise this before treatment starts.
Answered briefly
Frequently asked questions
Better not. Chewing gum pulls on the brackets and gets caught on the archwire. Sugar-free chewing gum is kind to the teeth, but it causes the same mechanical problem.
Popcorn is tricky because of the hard kernels, crisps because of the sharp edges that lodge between bracket and gums. Neither is forbidden, but they end in an extra appointment more often than other foods.
Yes. The question is asked more often than it is spoken out loud. It feels unfamiliar, nothing more.
Not with the aligner in place: heat deforms the plastic, and coffee stains it. Aligner out, drink, brush your teeth, aligner back in.