Foods to avoid

Things you may notice:

• Eating may be difficult at first. Be patient and eat soft foods, in a few days you will be able to enjoy a more regular diet. You may notice that you tend to salivate more than usual, but this is temporary.
• There may be a metallic taste, sometimes noticed with a new appliance. This disappears in a day or two.
• With the appliance in place, your speech will probably be completely normal in two or three days. Reading aloud to yourself can help this process.

Very Hard Foods – can do damage by distorting the wires, shearing off the brackets or loosening or breaking the tubes or attachments on the bands. Chewing ice cubes and bones such as spare ribs is not allowed. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be eaten if cut into wedges, thin strips or curls.

Sticky Foods – such as chewing gum, bubble gum, toffee and liquorice wrap around the braces and tend to pull them loose and are hard to clean up. Also constant chewing forces may interfere with the action of certain headgears, appliances and elastics.