At any given time, there are 4 million people in the United States wearing braces. That’s a lot of people who are in treatment for tooth placement and bite issues. When you get braces, there are lots of rules to remember in order to take care of your braces. You have to brush and floss your teeth regularly in order to keep your teeth underneath the braces as healthy as possible. There are other rules that you need to remember in order to maintain good oral hygiene. One of the most important rules when you have braces is your diet. If you are a candy lover, you need to be careful. Let us tell you about what kinds of candy you need to avoid when you have braces. Hard Candies Many people think that hard candy is ok if you have braces. However, hard candy presents a couple of different problems for people with braces. First, you are sucking hard candy for a long period of time, you are allowing sugar to stay on your teeth for a long time. Because of the nature of braces, it is vital to practice good oral hygiene, which means you have to brush and floss your teeth every time you eat or drink something. Hard candy encourages cavities to form underneath your braces. Also, hard candy can damage your wires and brackets when you chew on it. When your brackets and wires are damaged, it takes time to fix- which could delay your course of treatment. Soft Candies Soft candies aren’t any better than hard candies if you have braces. That’s because soft candies get stuck in your braces, which can not only break your wires and brackets, but can also create cavities underneath your braces. In other words, you are better off not eating any candy at all if you are wearing braces. If you think you must eat candy, we recommend brushing your teeth immediately afterwards. Have questions about what kinds of foods to eat with braces? Give us a call and let us give you more information.