• Enjoy Ice Cream Month Even With Braces

  • spumoni-ice-cream-617725_640President Ronald Reagan of the United States proclaimed that July was forever to be ‘Ice Cream Month‘. So before the hot month of July leaves us for good, you now have a good reason to find one of your favorite flavors and enjoy.

    Low fat ice cream in moderation is actually a good food to have with braces. There are, of course, a lot of foods you should avoid.

    Don’t worry, you’ll be eating popcorn and snacking on tortilla chips again in no time! However, before you can start enjoying some of the treats you love, you will need to take special care to avoid any foods that could damage your new appliances.

    You know the foods you should avoid. Don’t eat hard candy even though you just plan to let it dissolve in your mouth. These are bad for a couple reasons.  The temptation to bite is hard to resist and letting sugar just sit in your mouth is not good.

    Don’t eat sticky foods.

    Specifically avoid:

    • Gum
    • Taffy
    • Popcorn
    • Nuts
    • Ice
    • Thick tortilla chips
    • Whole apples and carrots (cut them into pieces first)
    • Hard French bread crust and rolls
    • Corn on the cob (cut the corn off the cob before eating)
    • Thick bagels
    • Thick pizza crust
    • Large, hard petzels
    • Chewable vitamins (hard or soft)

     

    Foods you CAN eat with braces:

    • Dairy — soft cheese, pudding, milk-based drinks
    • Breads — soft tortillas, pancakes, muffins without nuts
    • Grains — pasta, soft cooked rice
    • Meats/poultry — soft cooked chicken, meatballs, lunch meats
    • Seafood — tuna, salmon, crab cakes
    • Vegetables — mashed potatoes, steamed spinach, beans
    • Fruits — applesauce, bananas, fruit juice
    • Ice Cream or Popsicles (no ice)
    • Jell-O or Pudding
    • Low sugar, non-carbonated drinks
    • Pirate’s Booty (popcorn substitute)
    • Sandwiches (bite size)
    • Hamburgers and Hotdogs (bite size)
    • Meat (bite size with out bone, chewy meat may be hard on your jaw joints)
    • Salads
    • Raw Vegetables (bite size)
    • Cooked Vegetables (bite size)
    • Potatoes
    • Fruit (bite size)
    • Fruit Smoothies
    • Yogurt
    • Rice (brush carefully after)
    • Sushi
    • Most Cold Cereals (not hard granola)
    • Hot Cereals
    • Soup

    boy-654341_640If you have any questions at all come in or call Columbia Orthodontics.

    Call (360) 883-3800.

    Click here  to contact us online.

     

    And enjoy your ice cream.