Can You Eat Chips With Braces? [5 Easy Tricks]

Kids, adults, and almost everyone love to eat chips. But, what happens when you get braces? Can you eat chips with braces?

Unfortunately, you can’t eat chips with braces on your teeth. The reason is chips are hard and crunchy that can damage the braces and get stuck between the wires and teeth as well. This may also lead to tooth decay and sensitivity. However, you can use some tricks or try other alternatives to chips while wearing braces.

In this article, we have discussed all of these and provided some alternative ideas for eating chips with braces.

If you want, you can also know how you can eat candy and popcorn with braces.

Why can you not eat chips with braces?

can you eat chips with braces

Here are the reasons for not eating chips with braces:

Hardness and crunchiness of chips

Chips aren’t soft usually. We love to eat it because it is hard and crunchy. But, when you get your braces, you aren’t allowed to eat any type of hard and crunchy foods. But, why is this?

When you bite on those hard and crunchy foods, even without braces, stress is applied to the teeth. It doesn’t cause any problems normally.

But, while wearing braces, boding between teeth and braces get loose due to the stress.

There is more chance of it while biting on the chips for the first few days after getting braces or, it’s tightening because the glue that holds the braces to teeth is weak at that time.

Even, a long time after the braces are tightened, you have to avoid the chips to prevent any damage to the braces.

Moreover, the biting force may deform or bend the archwire.

Get the list of foods to eat after getting new braces and its tightening.

Chips getting stuck

In addition to the hardness, part of the chips may get lodged into braces and between the teeth and brackets.

This may damage the archwires, make them loose, or popped out. This will prevent tooth movement and delay the treatment.

So, chips may be sticky. This gets adhered to the braces and teeth more.

Delaying treatment

You may wonder what the relation between the chips and delaying of the braces treatment.

If your braces get loose or fall out because of any reason, the duration of orthodontic treatment will be increased.

When the damage occurs, you have to visit your orthodontist to repair it.

So, there is a break in the tooth movement during this interval.

If this happens more frequently, there will be more delays, and the outcome will be poor.

Tooth sensitivity or decay

It’s hard to clean teeth completely while wearing braces. So, if the hard or sticky chip particles get stuck between the braces and teeth, you may not clean them properly.

As a result, there will be more accumulation of bacteria and plaque on the teeth.

After that, bacteria form acid to destroy enamel and therefore, you may have tooth decay or sensitivity over time.

However, this may not happen, as your braces will get damaged before that. Either way, the outcome is worse.

Types of chips to avoid with braces on teeth

Actually, you have to stay away from almost any kind of chips. Here are a few examples of that:

Potato chips

Starchy potato chips, whether it’s standard or kettle-cooked, aren’t only hard, but also rich in carbohydrates.

The carbs are bad for your teeth. They increase the risk of more plaque deposition and tooth cavity formation.

While wearing braces, starchy, and unfriendly braces foods may cause the same effect as sugary foods.

Most importantly, the hardness of the potato chips may break will brackets and wires.

Tortilla chips

When you eat tortilla chips with braces, it may get stuck between your teeth and braces and causes various problems.

Hard taco shells

Taco shells can be hard and soft. A hard variety of it may also break the wire or brackets, They may get caught into the wires or brackets.

Moreover, ingredients of taco like meat or beef, may not be friendly for your braces. So, you should avoid it.

Pretzels

You may like the pretzels, but those sharp edges of pretzels don’t like your braces. In addition, they are hard and crunchy. So, they may break the braces or tear the wires while eating them.

You should stay away from your favorite chips such as Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, Tostitos, or Takis chips.

How to eat chips with braces?

Here are ways to eat chips during orthodontic treatment.

1. Choose a Soft and nonsticky variety of chips

You can pick those chips or chips like foods that are soft and don’t get lodged in the braces.

However, some soft chips contain a sticky outer coating, you should be cautious about that.

2. Chew slowly

If you find chips that you can eat with braces, still you should take your time to chew the chips so that they can’t hurt the braces or get stuck.

3. Try alternatives to chips

Let’s take a look at the alternative foods to chips you can eat with braces:

Potato chips alternative

You may be curious to know how to eat potato chips with braces. Potato chips are the most popular chips.

Though you can’t eat with braces you may try alternatives. You can eat homemade potato chips.

When you prepare, just make sure it remains soft. Maybe it’s not crispy like those chips, but you can eat as an alternative.

You can also take soft French fry or Baked Cajun Sweet Potato Fries: A Braces-Friendly Potato Chip Alternative

Taco shell’s alternative

If you love taco, you should pick a soft variety of taco shells, that may not hurt your braces. However, be careful of the ingredients of the taco.

It should be soft and easy to chew. You can also go for the soft burrito.

Tortilla chips alternative

You can’t eat tortilla chips, but it’s ok to eat the soft tortilla with braces. You can also eat homemade tortillas as you can have full control over them.

4. Clean your teeth and braces

Parts of chips or any of the alternatives we discussed above can easily get stuck under the wires.

So, you have to floss after you eat every time carefully.

Follow the appropriate procedure of flossing and brushing teeth with braces on teeth.

5. Love your braces

Try to love your braces more than chips. It sounds funny, but braces are going to give you beautiful smile. You can eat chips after braces come off. So, if you are careful enough, you can take a proper decision whether you should eat chips. Even if you eat, you can be careful to prevent any damage.

Conclusion

Though you can’t eat chips with braces, you can go with some other great alternatives. Whatever you eat, you have to be cautious so that they can’t hurt your braces or make a favorable condition to build up plaque and cavities.

Keep in mind that, you have to follow all the instructions provided by your orthodontist to get the best result after the removal of the braces.