While braces are wonderful for those who need correction of their teeth and/or jaw, it can be challenging when it comes to eating certain foods. You aren’t relegated to a period of a liquid diet or soft foods, but you do have to be careful and know the foods you need to avoid. But we are about burgers, so the question is can you eat burgers with braces?
It isn’t just about the burger meat itself. Consider the toppings you may want to put on your burger. We talk about some of these here but always check with your orthodontist prior to trying something they haven’t talked about with you.
The Foods to Stay Away from with Braces
Let’s first mention the foods you definitely should stay away from while sporting braces.
- Hard foods such as crunchy chips, popcorn, and even ice can loosen the braces and you don’t want to keep going back.
- Caramel, or anything chewy or sticky. This seems like a no-brainer, but we did want to mention it.
- Most chocolate, cookies, and candy should be avoided. We say most when it comes to chocolate as some softer pieces or candy bars are ok. Just don’t do anything with nuts or any type of hard chocolate. So basically, any type of cookie or candy that is hard you need to stay away from.
According to Orthodontics Limited, there are several types of food you should avoid so if unsure you can check out their information. Of course, follow the advice of your own dentist or orthodontist.
Can You Eat Burgers with Braces? We Want to Know!
The big question we want to answer here is can you eat burgers with braces? The simple answer is yes, you can. But there are some things you need to consider.
According to manhattanbridgeortho.com you will want to wait a few days before attempting a burger due to your teeth and gums being sore. You have had a lot done to your mouth and you don’t want to irritate it any more than you have to. So even if you are wanting that burger badly – we get it – wait just a bit before attempting.
Biting Into the Burger
You wouldn’t think that just taking a bite of that delicious burger would be a problem, but it can be. When you are ready to tackle the less than softer foods, there are things you want to consider before getting into that burger.
Of course, to eat a hamburger you have to bite into a hamburger using your front teeth. This is something you want to avoid doing with braces. By using your front teeth to bite into the burger you can potentially damage the brackets on the braces. Therefore, don’t actually bite into any type of food with your front teeth. You are going to have to cut things up for just a while.
When eating your hamburger you may have to opt for open-faced where you can cut it into bites, or go for no bun at all! Who says a burger isn’t good without a bun? Give it a try – you might be surprised.
What Toppings Can I Put on My Burger?
It isn’t only about the burger when you ask can you eat burgers with braces. You also have to consider the condiments and toppings you are adding and if they can hurt your braces at all. Here we have named a few of these that we know many of you love on your burgers.
Bacon: When thinking of toppings for your burger, we know this is going to be hard, but you have to leave out the bacon! Since bacon is so chewy and hard, it can potentially damage your braces. Just think how wonderful it will be when you can eat it again!
Cheese: You may think that cheese should be ok to eat if you have braces, and most of the time you are correct. However, you want to avoid some of the hard cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino as they aren’t among the softer cheeses and could potentially damage your braces.
Be sure to stick with the softer cheeses on your burger such as American, Cheddar, and even Brie. Or be adventurous and try something different on your burger that you may not have thought of before. You might like the tanginess of goat cheese or a smoky flavor from smoked gouda. (smoked gouda and barbeque sauce together are really good!)
Condiments: Condiments are fine because they aren’t hard, we know that. But there are some to avoid so you don’t end up with stains on your teeth between the braces.
This actually also goes with eating tomatoes. They should not only be avoided due to their high acidity, but you also can run into the seeds getting into the braces.
So for the condiments, you want to avoid high acid condiments like mustard and ketchup and anything tomato-based due to the staining. You may want to opt for condiments such as mayo, guacamole, or anything with a cream base.
If you do use any of the more acidic condiments, and we understand that you will occasionally, be sure to brush early and often to minimize any staining.
Buns – Not a Problem, Right?
Well, some bread can be a problem with your braces. Stay away from bread with seeds, such as sesame buns as the seeds will get stuck within the wires of the braces.
You essentially don’t want to use any breads where the entire outside of the bread or bun is a hard crust as they can damage the components of your braces. These are breads such as ciabatta, Kaiser rolls, or a pretzel bun. While they are, of course, soft on the inside, the hard crust would not be good on your teeth.
Try softer breads such as standard white, wheat and even sourdough. Just take the crust off the outside.
Conclusion
We want you to love eating burgers while you have your braces, but we want you to have the smile you deserve. Eat burgers, but in bite-size pieces and avoid digging in with your front teeth.
For a comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts with your braces, please check this article from saddlecreekortho.com.
Let us know if you have additional suggestions for your burger enjoyment. We want you to continue to love eating your burgers, but we want you to do it the right way.