A few months ago, my son got braces. We really struggled with braces-friendly foods for him to enjoy. We were a little overwhelmed the first few weeks, but then we realized there were plenty of choices of safe snacks he can enjoy.

The good news is that the first week of orthodontic treatment is really the worst on your child’s teeth when they get new braces. Just like after you get dental work your child’s mouth will have sore teeth. But it’s all temporary.

As a general rule of thumb, your child will want cut foods into smaller pieces, avoid hard foods and crunchy foods, sticking to soft foods is a good idea.

Your child may have to change up their favorite snacks and you may need to make some changes to your child’s diet, but the good news is that this isn’t forever. They will find some new braces-friendly snacks that they enjoy. Before the braces are put on your child’s teeth, head to the grocery store and stock up on some of these items.

Here are a List of Foods that are Good Snack Options

Healthy foods that are a good option:

Dairy products like cottage cheese, soft cheese triangles and string cheese
Whole Apples, hard fruits and whole fruit should be cut into small pieces
Soft fruits like bananas, watermelon, berries or citrus fruits are great healthy snacks to get vitamin c into your child’s diet
Apple Sauce
Fruit Cocktails
Slices of avocado
Sweet Potatoes
Plain yogurt
Soft Toast (stick to whole grain products)
Soft granola bars
A sweet treat every now and then like Ice cream or soft cookies is ok to quench that sweet tooth

If your child would like crackers or potato chips, cut them into small bites. We love small cheese crackers.

cut into pieces ripe red Apple on a cutting Board, close - up of food

Some ideas for school lunches throughout the school year are:

Protein packed foods are a great way to keep your child full throughout the day. Great options include

hard boiled eggs,
tuna,
deli meats,
egg salad,
good-old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are all delicious foods that are good in braces-friendly lunches.

Stay away from crunchy foods and sticky foods like:

Crunchy Fruits
Popcorn
Hard Candies
Large Nut Pieces
Crusty Bread
Pizza Crust
Tootsie Rolls
jelly beans
Ice cream toppings like caramel
Bagels
Beef Jerky
Hard Pretzels
Raw vegetables
Corn on the Cob or meat on the bone that you will need to tear with your front teeth.
Sports drinks that are high in sugar

Top view image of a woman holding colorful Jelly gum in hands

It’s also really important to make sure your child’s oral health is in tip top shape. After eating, they will want to make sure to remove any food particles from their teeth. If your child eats crunchy treats, hard candy, etc. they are taking the chance to damage braces or find themselves with broken brackets.