When younger patients, especially children undergo an orthodontic treatment, parents are majorly concerned about the food their child can take. There are many things such as candies, chocolates, jellies, ice creams and lollipops etc which the children are most keen for and there are some misconceptions regarding taking on some of these things when wearing braces. Even the most frequently asked question by adults is can I eat ice cream after getting braces.
So here are some details to respond to this concern.
When Can I Eat Ice Cream With Braces?
Ice cream is usually the first ideal choice for putting the pain and inflammation into numbness that comes after getting braces. Cold ice cream may hurt teeth further for the first few days and you may experience extra sensitivity on your teeth. But you shouldn’t bear with the pain for longer. Immediately consult your orthodontist if it prolongs.
Usually you will have more soreness on the second or third day after you get braces on. To relieve this soreness and create a sense of numbness braces and ice cream relationship works best. Then, ideally this soreness should calm down on each successive day until you feel back to normal after about one to two weeks.
Can You Eat Ice Cream If You Have Braces?
Of course you can have ice cream after getting braces but coldness is another thing; the main thing to look out for in ice creams is its ingredients. Any nuts, candy pieces, or other added items that may be hard or sticky can get stuck in your braces and are difficult to remove, or biting down on them can cause pressure on your brackets and its wires causing them to break. Ice cream and braces cannot go along for a longer time if it has nuts, candies or any other hard thing.
So, you need to be careful when selecting ice cream. Whatever flavor you savor must not have any hard ingredients.
All ice creams share one thing in common and that is lots of sugar and unfortunately sugar is not good for your teeth. Letting sugar sit on your teeth can cause plaque or bacteria build-up, leading to tooth decay. Braces and wires create more safe havens for bacteria to stick and grow. In this case, daily brushing and flossing is critical for proper daily care of braces. It is recommended that you immediately brush and floss your teeth after eating ice cream just to remove sugar from your teeth.
Can You Eat Ice Cream Cones With Braces?
Soft iced treats, like ice cream and snow cones, are still acceptable with your braces and in fact, the coolness provides some relief after getting your braces tightened but avoid going for hard crust ice cream cones.
Proper care of braces will keep them in good condition and prevent braces from staining and breaking. To make your braces work for their due life till completion of treatment, you need to eat foods that are not harmful for your braces. As well as maintain effective oral hygiene to keep clean between your braces and under your wires.
