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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

Like many people who need to lose a few pounds, I try diet after diet in an attempt to find one that finally works for me. I learned the hard way that I need to make sure any diet will not harm my teeth, even if it does help me lose a few pounds. I learned this lesson when following a grapefruit diet. There are many versions of this, but the version I tried had me eat a grapefruit alone several times each day. It was supposed to suppress my appetite. I helped keep me from munching on unhealthy snacks, but the acid in the fruit took a toll on my tooth enamel and I quickly started getting lots of cavities. I created this blog to remind people that change up their diets often to make sure the foods they are eating are not harming their teeth.

4 Go-To Meals For People With Lingual Braces

23 September 2015
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

Lingual braces are attractive to many people because they are almost completely invisible, but what draws many people away from them is the tendency for food to get stuck and not being able to chew with any real gusto. This obstacle can easily be overcome if you know what to eat for each meal, and this little challenge can even be entertaining if you have a knack for cooking. Here are four recipes that will delight anybody, especially those with lingual braces, over an entire day.  

Polenta

The great thing about polenta is that it can be prepared pretty much however you'd like, and it's good for a wide variety of meals. Making a porridge out of corn meal and water is one of the simplest breakfasts you can cook up, and it requires no chewing at all. Making a thicker dough and frying it lightly (trying to avoid too much of a crust) will make a corn pancake that goes great with some butter spread on top, too. 

Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to get a full meal's worth of nutrition in without requiring any chewing at all, and are great on-the-go lunches. Care must be taken when preparing the smoothie, however, as the most homogeneous mixture is best, since chunks of fruit or ice will undoubtedly present problems. Also, avoiding copious amounts of sugar like those found in dates, figs, or grapes is advised, as lingual braces already increase your chances of cavities, so fanning this flame can hurt your teeth. 

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

When it comes to dinner, many people with these hidden braces soon get to missing a classic, comforting bowl of mac and cheese. However, this American delicacy doesn't have to be out of your range, you just have to prepare it with care. Small pasta shapes are good for those with lingual braces because they require less, if any, chewing, and cooking the pasta a couple of extra minutes to soft perfection increases this effect. Also, skip any mix-ins like popcorn chicken or cucumbers, which can be tricky to maneuver and could produce a choking hazard. 

Pudding

For best results, go with pudding made from a mix (preferably sugar free to prevent tooth decay) rather than bread pudding or a similar dessert, for the same reason as those above: it produces a homogeneous food that is easy to eat without too much chewing and won't get caught in your braces. Add to that the deliciousness of chocolate or butterscotch flavoring and you've got a winning dessert that finishes off a day of eating well while expertly caring for your lingual braces.