After completing the orthodontic treatment, the team of doctors at My Auris always dedicatedly guides patients on proper oral care and a suitable diet. A common question asked by many young people is: can you drink beer with braces? In reality, orthodontic treatment requires you to change some habits, including the consumption of alcoholic beverages like beer.
Additionally, what to eat and what to avoid during braces to ensure treatment effectiveness is something wearers need to pay special attention to. If you are interested in nutrition principles and post-braces care, let My Auris help you explore the details in the following article!
Can You Drink Beer While Wearing Braces?
One of the common questions for people with braces is: “Can I drink alcohol or beer with braces?” In fact, braces are a modern orthodontic method, using specialized appliances to move teeth into their correct positions on the dental arch, thereby improving chewing function and aesthetics. For this process to be effective, you need to pay special attention to oral hygiene and a reasonable diet to maintain optimal oral health – this is a necessary condition for successful treatment.
Many people believe that drinking alcohol or beer simply involves swallowing, not chewing or biting, so it doesn’t affect the teeth or impede the orthodontic process. However, from a professional perspective, the answer to whether you can drink beer with braces is that you should minimize beer consumption throughout the entire orthodontic period.
The reason is that beer affects tooth enamel; drinking too much beer weakens teeth, making them susceptible to conditions like tooth decay, gingivitis, or prolonged sensitivity. Oral diseases that arise during braces not only cause discomfort but also affect the treatment duration – extending the process – and impact the final orthodontic results.
Furthermore, frequent consumption of beer can also stain teeth yellow, significantly reducing aesthetics, especially when you are wearing braces. Therefore, controlling alcoholic beverages like beer is essential to ensure optimal orthodontic effectiveness.
Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer for People with Braces
During orthodontic treatment, proper oral care plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of the treatment. However, drinking too much beer or consuming alcohol frequently can lead to many serious, unexpected consequences. Here are the harmful effects of alcohol and beer for people with braces – essential information recommended by dentists to remember.
Enamel Discoloration and Faster Erosion
Beer contains a lot of alcohol, which, with frequent contact with teeth, can affect the enamel layer – an extremely important natural protective layer. Alcohol abuse causes tooth enamel to discolor, lose its shine, and gradually weaken. Over time, enamel erodes faster, creating conditions for bacteria to attack and cause tooth decay.
Causes Dry Mouth and Bad Breath
One of the leading causes of bad breath in people with braces is the high alcohol content in beer. Alcohol can reduce saliva production, causing the mouth to dry out – an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply and thrive. The result is unpleasant breath and less effective oral hygiene.
Increases Pain and Tooth Sensitivity
If you are experiencing issues like gingivitis, interdental decay, or tooth sensitivity, excessive alcohol consumption can exacerbate tooth pain and sensitivity. Harmful components in alcohol can also worsen existing oral diseases, hindering the treatment and recovery process after orthodontics.
What Should New Braces Wearers Avoid?
Orthodontic treatment is a long process that requires meticulous care. Specifically, “what should new braces wearers avoid?” is a common question, because choosing the wrong foods not only affects health but also significantly reduces the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment. Below is a list of foods to limit to protect oral health and ensure optimal braces treatment effectiveness:
Steer Clear of Hard Foods
Items like hard candies, bones, or ice can greatly impact the jaw and teeth, causing sensitivity, tooth shifting, and even making brackets or wires break easily. This seriously affects the orthodontic progress and can interrupt treatment.
Chewy, Sticky Foods – The “Arch-Nemesis” of Braced Teeth
Foods like glutinous rice cakes, sticky rice cakes, gummy candies, and chewing gum require the jaw to work extensively and continuously to chew and break down these soft and sticky foods. This exacerbates pain, and sticky foods easily adhere to brackets, making cleaning very difficult. The consequence is rapid bacterial growth, which can lead to dangerous oral diseases.
Limit Overly Hot or Cold Foods
When teeth are under traction from appliances, the tooth roots are very weak, not as strong as usual. At this time, dishes like hot pot, ice cream, ice cubes, and cold drinks can cause tooth sensitivity and severe pain. Therefore, limiting overly hot or cold foods is essential.
Crunchy, Crumbly Foods Should Also Be Avoided
Bread, cookies, and potato chips often create food debris that gets deeply lodged in brackets or empty spaces between teeth, making them very easy to miss during cleaning. If not thoroughly cleaned, this can prolong the orthodontic treatment and significantly reduce its effectiveness.
Sweets and Sugary Foods – A Silent Threat
Sweets and fast food contain a lot of starch and sugar, creating favorable conditions for bacteria to ferment, increasing the risk of acid production – a direct cause of tooth decay and other oral diseases. Therefore, people with braces should limit sugary foods to keep their teeth healthy.
What Should New Braces Wearers Eat for Comfort and Quick Adaptation?
The initial stage of braces often causes discomfort as patients are not yet accustomed to the appliances in their mouth. During this time, the tongue, lips, and jaw are not flexible, significantly affecting daily activities. To ensure nutrition and alleviate pain, you should prioritize soft, easy-to-chew, and easy-to-swallow foods as listed below:
Soft Cooked Foods
Dishes like porridge, soup, vermicelli, pho, cereals… are not only easy to swallow but also rich in essential nutrients. Soft foods limit jaw movement, helping you adapt easily while avoiding body weakness.
Milk and Dairy Products
Milk, yogurt, cheese, soft butter, and dairy-based pastries are excellent choices for new braces wearers’ diets. These foods do not require the jaw to work too much, making them very suitable when teeth are sore.
Egg Dishes
Eggs, flan, sponge cake are natural sources of Vitamin D, contributing to strong teeth. These dishes are easy to eat and help provide necessary energy throughout the braces treatment.
Soft Vegetables and Fruits
Soft vegetables and fruits like bananas, avocados, pumpkin, potatoes… are great for supplementing fiber and vitamins, helping the body boost its immune system. You can mash them, juice them, or make smoothies for easy consumption when your teeth are sore.
Nutritional Cereals
Foods like wheat, tofu, whole-grain sandwiches provide a stable amount of carbohydrates, helping braces wearers maintain enough energy for daily activities while being easy to digest.
Well-Prepared Meat and Seafood
For complete nutrition, you should use lean meat, fish, shrimp… that have been finely chopped, minced, or pureed and cooked with porridge or soup. These foods are rich in protein, helping to avoid weight loss throughout the orthodontic process.
