Cooking for Someone with Orthodontics

There are a lot of guides online for what kinds of food to make for kids with braces, but they mostly focus on how to make food as soft as possible. They neglect to mention that sticky or thick foods could break braces, as well, and foods that are too soft will get stuck and are difficult to remove. We at Dr. Cynthia Wong Orthodontics thought we’d provide a few tips of our own:

•  Steam vegetables and cut them into thin strips. Slicing corn from the cob is also a way to make it safe, though the proxabrush will be necessary to remove it.


• Long beans don’t even need to be cut


•  Eggs are a good choice in nearly any mode of preparation


• Baked fish is soft, but has enough resistance to provide the pleasure of biting into something tasty


• Slow cooked meats in general are satisfying, especially in soups


• Curries are often nutritious, and traditionally paired with long-grain, instead of sticky, rice


• Desserts with crumbled graham cracker crusts are quick to soften up inside the mouth


• Immediately after tightening, it may be best to avoid chewing at all. This is a good time for smoothies, milkshakes, oatmeal, and mashed root vegetables

Cynthia Wong, DMD, operates at 15614 S Harlem #B, Orland Park, Illinois, 60462. To contact her office, call 708-444-8341 or visit DrCynthiaWong.com and send a message.