Ask Mary

You can eat a wide range of healthy foods to make up a balanced diet when you wear braces.  You should avoid some unhealthy foods that stick to your teeth such as gummy bears, Starbursts, Sugar Daddies, Sugar Babies, Tootsie rolls, licorice, caramels, toffee, and gum.  And then hard foods, like raw carrots and apples, hard pizza crust, corn-on-the-cob, nuts, hard candies and ice, can damage your front braces when you bite down.  But you can eat those foods if they are grated, finely chopped fine or softened.  Be sure to brush your teeth (at least rinse your mouth) immediately after eating to prevent tooth decay and bad breath.