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Can you eat chips if you have braces? What you should know in 2022

    If you have braces, you may be wondering if you can still eat chips with your braces on. This is a very good question as there are certain food restrictions that you will have when wearing braces.

    These are important limitations to understand as there are certain foods that you cannot safely eat with braces. This is because certain foods can damage your braces if you chew them.

    Many people who get braces have general questions about what types of foods they can eat. You should always consult your dentist for more specific information regarding your specific health.

    Read on to find out if you can eat chips when you have braces, and if you can, what kind of chips you can eat.

    Can you have chips if you have braces?

    If you have braces it is best not to eat chips as these are hard and crunchy foods. In general, wearers of braces should avoid any kind of hard food that could damage their braces when chewing.
    Woman with braces and thinking

    If you have braces, there are certain foods that you cannot eat until your braces have been removed. This is only part of the reality when you have braces, as they are at risk of being damaged by certain foods you may be eating.

    Therefore, always follow your dentist’s advice when it comes to what you can continue to eat. There are certain foods that are absolutely off-limits until your braces are removed.

    Chips are one type of food that you typically cannot eat when you have braces. The average chip is very crunchy, which is exactly the type of food those with braces should avoid, as they can be damaged if you chew something crunchy.

    Although you may not need to avoid every type of chip if you just stick to a few types that are safe for braces.

    What kind of chips can you eat with braces?

    Now that you know some of the dangers associated with eating chips with braces, you might be wondering if all chips aren’t allowed. The good thing is, just because you have braces doesn’t mean you can’t consume chips.

    The types of chips you can’t eat will be the traditional type that most people think of. These include fried chips, which are very crunchy and often require a lot of chewing to break them up.

    You should avoid these types of shavings as they are too hard for your braces. However, there are other types of chips that aren’t quite as crunchy, so they won’t damage your braces as easily.

    This includes chip options such as:

    These types of chips are much softer and tend to be made differently. This creates a softer chip that doesn’t require nearly as much chewing and won’t damage your braces as easily.

    Many people say that you can eat baked chips even if you have braces, although you should do so with extreme caution. Some baked chips can be just as hard, if not harder, than regular chips, and are also thicker.
    Woman with a bowl of chips

    What could happen if you eat chips with braces?

    So now you know not to eat crunchy foods like chips when you have braces, but what could happen? What’s the worst that could happen if you ate a bag of chips after getting your braces?

    Many people assume that braces are very durable and can withstand anything you put in your mouth. Although breeds are very long-lived, they are not made to withstand all types of food that you might eat.

    Hard objects that you might try to chew could break into pieces, and a piece could get caught between the wires of your braces. Not only could this cause pain, but it could actually snap one of your wires and cause a lot of damage.

    Enthusiastic eating of hard foods can even cause your brackets to snap off your teeth. This is an emergency that would require a very expensive repair by your orthodontist.

    Minor concerns about crunchy foods and braces are that these types of foods can get into your braces without you realizing it. This can encourage plaque and even cause tooth decay due to prolonged exposure of your teeth to food.

    Can you eat junk food with braces?

    In general, even with braces on, you can eat some tasty snacks. It would be impossible to list all the options you have left that don’t pose a great risk of damaging your braces.

    You have to use logic when choosing the snacks you eat when you’re wearing your braces. You really just need to avoid overly sticky, chewy, and hard types of junk food.

    These are the types of foods that can damage your braces and cause problems later. Soft and easy-to-chew snacks shouldn’t be a problem as long as you take care to clean your braces properly after eating.

    If you are very concerned about damaging your braces, you can also ask your dentist what types of junk foods they recommend.

    Man with braces and whole apple

    What should you never eat with braces?

    If you have braces, there are certain foods that you should definitely avoid for quite a while. This is because your braces are in a vulnerable area and at risk of being damaged by food that you might eat.

    Because of this, you should avoid any type of chewy, sticky, and hard foods that could damage your braces. This includes options such as:

    • liquorice
    • nuts
    • Hard Candy
    • caramel
    • Popcorn
    • Cheat on the butt
    • Whole apples

    These are a small handful of specific foods to avoid when you have braces. These are all options that could potentially damage your braces in some way if you were to consume them without considering the risks.

    Things like apples or corn can still be eaten as long as you don’t bite directly into a corn cob or an apple. You can also eat candies, but you cannot bite them, just suck them until they dissolve.

    Can you still eat chips with braces?

    If you have braces, it is generally considered best to avoid most types of braces. Chips are hard and crunchy and can easily damage your braces if you eat them without considering the risks.

    Although there are some types of chips that you can eat with braces, only the hard types of chips should be avoided. As a general rule, wearers of braces should avoid hard, chewy, and sticky foods until their braces are removed.

    Braces are easily damaged by food when the wires break or when the brackets are pulled from your teeth. These are all concerns that can arise from eating the wrong foods.