14 Best Soft Foods For Braces
How To Survive Your First Month Of Having Braces
What are the best soft foods for braces? This will be the first question you will ask yourself when you start your braces.
If you are like me, I think that you will agree that FOOD IS LIFE !
Having recently started braces, you are quickly learning that eating during the first few days are tough. Not only are your teeth and gums sore, but your bite may be changing already. You may have difficulty eating all the foods that you love. Also, you might not be sure what foods are easy to eat with your new braces.
In this article we are going to help you manage the tough first week with a list of good foods to eat with braces.
Here is a can’t miss list of the 14 best soft foods for braces.
Explore The List 14 Best Soft Foods For Braces
1 Yogurt
Yogurts are a delicious protein-packed soft food that you can eat when you first get braces. Yogurt provides soothing cold to your sore teeth. This numbing effect will feel great on your teeth and gums.
Stick with low-fat yogurts to maintain a balanced diet. However, be careful! Many brands increase the sugar content to make low-fat yogurts taste better.
Yogurt has incredible health benefits. Yogurt is packed with protein, calcium and vitamins B6 and B12. Also, some yogurts feature probiotics, which are active cultures of good bacteria. Overall, yogurt is great for strong teeth and bones and great for aiding in digestion.
PROTIP: Place Greek Yogurt in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. It will come out semi-frozen and you will have a healthy ice-cream like snack that can ease your braces pain.
2 Soups
Soups are well-known as comfort foods. Moms have been preparing nutritious soups for their uncomfortable kids and teens for ages. There’s something innately comforting about a warm soup when you are feeling down.
A warm soup is a great meal to have after you first get your braces. Soups are very easy to make and a soft food. So easy that if you are short on time you can open a can of soup, warm it up and you are ready to eat.
Soups come in many varieties. Whether brothy or creamy, all soups are vitamin and mineral-rich. Soups are also great sources of fluids and collagen. Collagen is great for your gums and keeps your skin looking young and fresh.
Healthy Soups For Braces
- Lentil soup
- Tomato soup
- Chicken noodle soup
- Miso soup
- Vegetable Soups
- Ramen Noodle Soup
- Pozole
- Wedding Soup
- Wonton soup
- Pho Noodle Soup
3 Sweet Potatoes
The nutritional value of the sweet potato is well known. It is an extremely versatile and soft food that you can eat with braces. It can be prepared in a variety of ways including baked, steamed, fried or sautéed.
Sweet potatoes are sweet-tasting, starchy and hearty. Because of this you can make a complete meal that is sore-teeth friendly.
Add your favorite toppings such as sour cream, cheese and chives or brown sugar and cajun spices. With sore teeth and gums a sweet potato will make a satisfying meal that will be easy to chew with your new braces on.
Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants and in the minerals manganese and potassium. When cooked a medium sweet potato contains 25% of the daily nutritional value of vitamin C. Sweet potatoes are also high in vitamin A which promotes healthy mucous membranes in the oral cavity. This keeps your lips, cheeks, and gums healthy.
Looking for ideas to prepare a sweet potato? Try this tasty recipe for Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
4 Fish
Fish has been a staple food that has supported communities since ancient times. Fish have great flavor, are quick to prepare and will be very easy on teeth sore from braces.
Bake a flaky fish and top with lemon and butter or capers and a creamy sauce and you will have the main feature of a great meal. A soft, flaky fish will be easy to eat if your teeth are sore from just starting your braces treatment.
Flaky fish are low in fat and packed with protein. Fish also contain a high amount of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are great for their anti-inflammatory abilities. As nature’s anti-inflammatory, Omega-3s found in fish can decrease the signs of inflammation including pain, swelling, redness, and warmth.
This can be of great benefit if you are experiencing these uncomfortable symptoms after just getting your braces on. This makes fish an excellent soft foods for braces.
5 Fruits
Fruits are great any time of the day with any meal. They can provide a chewable snack when your teeth are hurting from your new braces.
Softer citrus fruits will provide a soothing chill, a tart taste and a bit of sweetness. Melons such as honeydew and cantaloupe can be semi-frozen and provide a numbing effect similar to teething toys for babies.
Many fruits are perfect soft foods to eat when you first get braces. If you happen to start your braces during the summer months, many fruits will be at peak sweetness, so you can enjoy them all summer!
Fruits are full of simple sugars and are naturally low in fat, sodium and calories. This soft snack will give you a quick boost of energy from its simple sugars. Vitamin C filled fruits are important for your overall oral health and can decrease gum problems.
Smaller fruits such as grapes and blueberries make excellent soft foods for braces. These fruits are delicious and can eaten by the handful when you are hungry.They are also full of valuable fluids that can prevent dehydration.
When you are thinking about what to eat when you get braces make sure to include fresh fruits on your shopping list!
PROTIP– Applesauce is a great go-to food for younger patients in braces. It can make a sweet, healthy snack for your child when a quick remedy for the soreness in the teeth.
6 Veggies
Veggies are delightful when cooked or raw. However, if you just started with braces and your teeth are sore, you will not be able to consume most raw veggies. Cooked veggies are much easier to eat with braces because they are soft foods.
When prepared as a side dish, cooked veggies enhance the flavor profile of your meal. Vegetables also provide a feeling of fullness after eating. Cooked veggies are soft enough to enjoy after you first get braces on, yet still, have enough flavor and texture to be palatable.
You will never get bored with the endless varieties of vegetables. Because of this, you will get the benefit of a variety of vitamins and minerals from eating them. Potassium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C and many others can be found in veggies. Vegetables are often high in dietary fibers which have cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering benefits.
Most important, we all know that mom told us to eat our vegetables and having braces doesn’t give us a legitimate excuse!
7 Eggs
Eggs are nature’s multivitamin! A 2018 Healthline.com article states that eggs are among the healthiest foods on the planet.
Not only are eggs incredibly healthy, they are easily digestible and won’t require a lot of chewing pressure from your sore teeth. You can eat eggs anytime during the day because they are soft, rich in flavor and enhance many main dishes.
You can prepare eggs in many different ways. Whether fried, poached, hard boiled or scrambled eggs are always a quick fix. Top your eggs with different cheeses, sour cream, tomatoes or avocado and you have a healthy soft food to eat with braces.
Here’s a great list of 50 Egg Recipes from foodnetwork.com.
8 Smoothies
Smoothies are one of the best foods to eat while you have braces on. Because smoothies can be made with many different ingredients you will never get bored of your options. You can add fruits, vegetables, and various juices to customize the texture and flavor while keeping the food soft for your braces.
Boost your smoothies by adding powders such as caffeine, protein and daily vitamins. For a twist of flavor, add soy milk, almond milk or even sweetened coconut milk.
If your child has sore teeth from braces, but still has a sweet tooth, craft a smoothie with an ice cream base!
The possibilities are endless with smoothies and each recipe will provide an ice-cold cooling sensation for teeth and gums that are sore from braces. The cold temperature of a fun smoothie will decrease pain and swelling during the first week of starting your braces or clear aligners
There are hundreds of recipes for smoothies. However, if you really want to cheer your child up try this beautiful Rainbow Smoothie recipe from thefirstyearblog.com. It may take a few minutes longer than a regular smoothie, but the presentation and smile that it will put on your child’s face will be worth the time and effort!
9 Protein Shakes
Protein shakes aren’t only for bodybuilders and athletes. A well-balanced protein shake can act as a meal replacement when you need an on-the-go meal.
When you first get your braces on you may feel crummy and you may drag a little the first few mornings. It will also take you longer to clean your teeth, initially, until you get used to brushing with braces. Because of this, you may be short on time to complete your normal morning routine. A meal replacement protein shake can be the ultimate solution.
You can make a calorie-dense meal full of all of your required daily vitamins and minerals. It is very easy to include your carbohydrates and healthy fats in a delicious protein shake as well. You can even customize the texture and consistency to your liking. Add a few ice cubes and you have a cold complete meal that is great for braces because it is a soft food!
Here is my own recipe for an amazing high calorie and nutrient-dense protein shake!
Dr. McGuire’s Own Recipe
1 small banana, 2 tablespoon peanut butter, ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats 8 ounces of 2% milk, 2 scoops of Optimum Platinum Turbo Chocolate Whey Protein, 1 cup of ice cubes. Blend and enjoy!
1 small banana, ½ cup strawberries, 8 ounces of 2% milk, 2 scoops of Optimum Platinum Velocity Vanilla Whey Protein, 1 cup of ice cubes. Blend and enjoy!
10 Ground Chicken or Turkey
If you are like me, you love meat! For meat lovers, having braces doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy meat anymore. However, you will have to taper back on the chunky, chewy red meats that you love so much.
Stick to a more braces-friendly alternative such as ground chicken or ground turkey.
Ground meats are a great alternative to chunks or filets for sore teeth. You can still have the great flavor and high protein punch that meat packs, yet decrease the amount of chewing pressure on your sore teeth and gums.
White meats are lean and full of vitamins such as niacin and vitamin B6. Both chicken and turkey provide selenium, which has been shown to boost the immune system and have cancer-fighting properties as well.
11 Oats and Oatmeal
Oats make for an all-time classic breakfast food. Furthermore, oats are an excellent soft food to eat with braces.
Oatmeal has a unique texture and is warm enough to soothe an achy mouth on a chilly fall morning or cold winter day. Add some fresh berries and cinnamon, or brown sugar and maple syrup to your oatmeal for an amazing quick breakfast meal.
Oatmeal is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet Earth! Oats are full of heart-healthy dietary fibers such as Beta Glucan. These heart benefits are wide-reaching and oats can decrease bad cholesterol in the blood-stream and decrease your chance of heart disease.
Oatmeal is also very filling which will help you minimize snacking throughout the day. This leads to a decrease in caloric intake and potentially beneficial weight loss.
Overall, there aren’t many things that oats and oatmeal can’t do for you. This makes oats a staple of a healthy diet for braces.
Oatmeal is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet Earth!
12 Pancakes
Pancakes are a soft, warm and fluffy food that brings back memories of family breakfast on a Sunday morning.
You can buy a “shake and pour” style pancake mix from your local grocery store. This quick mix will make for a fast meal that is soft enough for even the most sore teeth and gums to tolerate.
For your younger child in braces, use a cookie cutter to cut the pancakes into fun shapes that they will love to eat! This may take their mind off the discomfort from starting braces and give them a nice filling breakfast meal before school.
Pair a fluffy heart-shaped pancake with scrambled eggs and you will have a tasty soft food to eat when your child first gets braces.
13 Pasta
Pasta is not going to be high on the nutrition scale. However, there are some simple benefits to adding pasta to your healthy diet for braces.
First and foremost, it is soft and easy to eat. A good pasta is full of complex carbohydrates that make you feel full and provide you with a sustained energy source. Pasta is also very cheap and affordable.
When you are asking yourself what to eat when you have braces. make sure to consider a hearty pasta. It always makes for a good cheap meal.
When you are asking yourself what to eat when you have braces, make sure to consider a hearty pasta. It always makes for a good cheap meal.
14 Sweets
Sweets are the last item on our list because they are high in sugar content and low in overall nutritional value.
The biggest benefit of sweets is the “sugar high” that makes you feel good. Sugar causes the body to release endorphins, aka the feel-good hormone. Endorphins can elevate your mood and decrease your experience of pain.
Because of this, sugary sweets have a legitimate place on the list of things you can eat when you first get braces.
If you are going to have sweets try the reduced-fat or sugar-free version. Always remember that all sweets need to be consumed in moderation!
Although it is not the best food to eat when you get braces, there are times when you want to satisfy your sweet tooth. Here are our recommended sweet tooth busting choices that are still soft foods.
- Low-fat cheesecake
- Sugar-free ice cream
- Reduced sugar popsicles
- Reduced fat frozen yogurt
- Sugar-free candies
- Reduced sugar gelatin
- Sugar-free gum
Conclusion
Your first few weeks are sure to be a challenge with your new braces, but you do not have to starve. You will ask lots of questions during your braces consultation. Be sure to ask your orthodontist what other foods they recommend to help you get through the first few weeks.
If you need ideas on what questions to ask during your braces consultation, check out our related article “21 Must Ask Questions For Your Braces Consultation” here!
Use the recommendations on this list to keep your belly full and your spirits high during the toughest time in treatment. Soft foods will be the best for braces initially until you find other foods to eat with braces.
Hang in there because it definitely gets easier! Before you know it, you will be able to eat all the normal foods that you love and enjoy!
If you are in orthodontic treatment with braces or clear aligners in the West Valley of Phoenix and have any questions about your treatment, please give us a call. Dr. Jesse McGuire is here to answer your questions and help you throughout the entire treatment process. At ProSmiles Orthodontics we pride ourselves on exceptional patient care and comfort with braces or clear aligners!
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