Braces-Friendly Holiday Foods

braces friendly hot chocolate

Happy holidays! December is such a wonderful time of year here in Alpharetta, and there are so many reasons to celebrate. If you are one of our orthodontic patients, a lot of traditional Christmas treats will not be safe for your braces. While you’ll definitely want to skip some foods this year in order to protect your braces, there are still plenty of delicious options for you to enjoy. Here are some helpful tips to consider while you celebrate the Christmas season during your Alpharetta orthodontic treatment!

Foods to Save for Next Year

Gingerbread Cookies and Houses – Gingerbread cookies dry out pretty quickly, and are usually too tough to chew when you have braces Alpharetta. While you can still make gingerbread houses with your friends and family, you’ll want to skip out on eating them after. They’ll still be a lot of fun, and make great decorations!

Candy Canes – While candy canes will still look great as decorations on your Christmas tree, it is important to remember that hard candy should always be avoided if you have braces, even during the holidays. Candy canes can be especially dangerous because it is so tempting to bite down on them. Try replacing them with some softer peppermint-flavored treats, like peppermint marshmallows, or even consider switching to peppermint-flavored toothpaste for the winter months!

Sticky, Chewy, or Crunchy Treats – When you have braces, you’ll want to avoid any food that contains nuts or caramel. This includes foods like pecan pie, peanut brittle, and candy or caramel apples. Candies and treats that contain toffee, which is very sticky, should also be avoided.

Braces-Friendly Holiday Treats!

Hot Chocolate – Hot chocolate is a delicious, classic winter beverage that you can still enjoy with your braces! Try it with toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon, or chocolate shavings for a little extra chocolate flavor. If you’re really missing candy canes or gingerbread, consider making peppermint or gingerbread-flavored hot chocolate to replace some of the other treats that aren’t safe for braces.

Baked Goodies – During your orthodontic treatment in Alpharetta, you can still have soft treats like cookies, brownies, cakes, and other baked foods fresh from the oven! Try some homemade sugar cookies decorated with creamy frosting or some delicious fruit or cream pie. The options here are endless!

Dinner Time – You can still enjoy most classic Christmas dinner dishes with your braces, such as tender meats, pasta, mashed potatoes, and casseroles. Be sure to load up on soft cooked veggies too, like green beans and broccoli. You can never get enough mouth-healthy vitamins and minerals!

Braces-Friendly Alternatives – Don’t be afraid to get creative! There are plenty of ways to customize your favorite holiday treats to make them safe for your braces. For example, you can make a “gingerbread” house out of graham crackers instead of gingerbread so that you can safely eat it after! There are also a lot of awesome holiday events going on in Alpharetta this season that don’t involve food at all. Take your family to check out some amazing neighborhoods of Christmas lights, or go ice skating!

Remember to not get too carried away with the treats over the holidays. You don’t want to start the new year off with a cavity or damaged brackets! As long as you keep your sugar consumption moderate, and brush and floss your teeth soon after eating, there is no reason you can’t enjoy this Christmas with your braces. If you have any questions for us or are due for a check-up soon, schedule an appointment with our orthodontist in Alpharetta at Newpark Orthodontics today!

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