For braces, the best pizza has a soft crust (like pan or Neapolitan) and soft toppings (melted cheese, small veggies, ground meats) cut into tiny, manageable bites, while avoiding hard, crunchy crusts, thick pepperoni, or tough meats that can damage brackets or bend wires. You can also simply cut off the crust and eat the softer center.
Choose soft crust: Thin or soft crusts are ideal. Avoid anything crunchy or extra chewy, like deep-dish or stuffed crust pizzas. Go easy on the cheese: Melted cheese is fine, but thick, stringy cheese can stick to your braces.
Cut Your Pizza into Smaller Pieces
Use a knife and fork to cut your pizza into bite-sized pieces, or ask the pizzeria to cut it for you before baking. You can also try using scissors to cut your pizza into small strips or squares if you prefer. If you want to enjoy pizza with braces, small bites are key.
Eating pizza the day braces go on is safe if you pick a soft crust, avoid hard/chewy toppings, cut into small pieces or use a fork, let it cool, and maintain good oral hygiene afterward.
A: Yes, but with caution. Avoid the hard crust and opt for the softer, chewable portions. Make sure to cut the pizza into small, manageable pieces to make it easier to chew without damaging your braces.
Pizza is a perfectly fine food to eat with braces, but it all comes down to the type of pizza you choose. Soft-crust pizza is the most ideal style when you have braces. Tougher crusts or thin crusts can result in damage to your dental braces and may get stuck between the wires, brackets, and your teeth.
Hard foods and chewy foods
Chewy foods like bagels and hard rolls as well as hard, crunchy foods like pizza crust, hard nuts and thick pretzels may bend wires and pop off brackets. Even healthy fruits and vegetables that require biting with the front teeth can damage braces.
Crunchy foods – ice cubes, nuts, crusty sandwiches, pizza crusts (you can eat sandwiches and pizza when cut into bite-size pieces) Fizzy drinks – which can cause staining around your brackets.
Eating an apple whole utilizes a slicing motion on the front teeth (incisors) that can result in broken brackets. It's always best to slice them prior to eating them.” Slicing apples before eating them will remove the pressure from your front teeth since the cutting is already done.
Cut it Up: Never bite directly into a large burger or sandwich with your front teeth. This can dislodge brackets. Instead, cut the burger into small, bite-sized pieces or tear it apart with your fingers and chew with your back teeth. Skip the Crunchy Toppings: Ask for your burger without bacon or crispy onion strings.
You can eat pizza with braces in the first week; they aren't more prone to damage when they first go on than they are any other time during the process. However, since you're just starting to get used to your braces, there's often a greater chance of you inadvertently eating foods that could harm them.
Some great options for foods to eat with braces, include: Milk. Soft cheeses (cottage cheese, brie, thinly-sliced cheddar, Swiss or American cheese, mozzarella, etc.)
MOD Pizza
Opt for softer toppings like cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and grilled chicken. Their cauliflower crust is an even softer option if you're looking for a gluten-free alternative that's still braces-friendly.
There are certain types of foods that can be difficult to eat with braces and can cause discomfort. Avoiding these types of foods can help make your experience with braces more comfortable. Hard, crunchy, and sticky foods should be avoided as they can damage braces and cause discomfort.
Hard Foods to Avoid: ice, nuts, hard taco shells, french bread crust/rolls, corn on the cob, apples and carrots (unless cut into small pieces), bagels, chips, Jolly Ranchers, pizza crust, and uncooked carrots (unless cut)
Best Snacks for Braces
Chocolate – Not all chocolate is off-limits! The most important thing to avoid is chocolate that also has caramel, toffee, or nuts. Softer chocolate, like milk or white chocolate, is totally safe to eat with braces. Hershey's kisses, Kit Kat bars, mint chocolates, etc are totally fine.
Once you feel like your mouth has adjusted to the braces, you are free to eat all the burgers you can stomach. However, it would be in your best interest to cut them into bite-sized portions and ensure that both the meat and buns are soft.
Foods You Should Avoid:
Anything that takes a lot of bite force should be avoided, as they can bend wires or cause a bracket to break. Popcorn (specifically the kernels you may accidentally bite into), nuts, hard bread, raw vegetables, and chewing on ice can all damage your braces.
You might be wondering, “Why did my blue braces turn green?” In some cases, light blue ligatures can quickly shift to a bright green shade after exposure to foods like turmeric or curry. However, after a few brushings with regular (non-whitening) toothpaste, the color often softens to a pleasant light teal.
A common myth is that braces will dramatically change the entire face shape. The truth is that while braces can refine and enhance certain features, they don't completely transform your appearance. Instead, braces highlight your natural features by creating symmetry and balance in your smile.
It may take a few weeks to get used to braces, but most people feel comfortable smiling within a month. Initially, there may be some discomfort or soreness, but as your mouth adjusts, smiling will become more natural. Remember, smiling with braces is a positive step towards a beautiful, healthy smile.
French Fries: As long as they aren't burnt, french fries should be safe for your traditional metal braces. Chew with caution if you encounter any particularly crunchy fries.
You want to avoid anything crunchy or hard, which means no nuts, potato chips, or popcorn. Instead, opt for Cheetos or Pirate Booty. Soft cookies (without nuts) are good, but avoid hard cookies like Oreos and Chips Ahoy unless you're a milk dunker. Ice cream is fine, but skip the nuts and hard candy toppings.
You shouldn't have issues with brackets coming off just from biting into a pizza crust, but if you attempt to gnaw through a thick, burnt section, it is a risk. So, if you want to eat pizza after you get your braces on, look for pizza companies that make crusts that are softer.