Why avoid popcorn? Also, what about fruit

[prairiehouse]

Why do they recommend that you avoid popcorn? Is it because they can be hard, or because the kernels can get stuck?

Has anyone been told to avoid certain types of fruit due to the sugar content? Does anyone here avoid certain foods just because they tend to get easily stuck?

thanks

[rania]

Yes part of the reason is because the kernel is hard. But also popcorn is a pain in the but to get out of braces.

[Ciara]

You can get small, thin pieces of popcorn wedged between your wire and gums. it is extremely difficult to remove - I ate popcorn the last time I had braces and got an infected gum (very painful and bled quite a bit) because of a piece wedged deep between my gum, tooth and wire. My ortho had to remove it. Potato chips (crisps) can also do this.

You should avoid bitting into hard fruit like apples but it you cut them up into small pieces, it is possible to eat them. Fruit with many tiny seeds can be a problem too because the seeds get stuck and are hard to remove.

The only time I lost a bracket the last time I had braces was when I bit into some crusty bread.