If you are born with a sweet tooth, there’s probably a 10 out of 10 chance you’ll have sweet cravings while wearing braces in your quest to get your teeth straight.
It’s difficult to fight the desirable, mouthwatering taste of gummy worms and other gummies. But can you eat gummy worms with braces?
Let’s explore..
KEY TAKEAWAY
As tasty as Gummy Worms and other chewy candy types are, they must be avoided while you have braces to assure your braces are cared for correctly. They frequently get stuck on and inside your braces, making cleaning more challenging, increasing the likelihood of cavities and feeling uncomfortable in your mouth. The only safe way to consume them is to suck on them until they melt.
Besides the short answer above, in this article we’ll explore in greater detail if you can or can’t eat sticky candy, especially gummy worms, why not, and explore a viable alternative.
Do Gummy Worms Get Stuck in Your Braces?
While Gummy worms are soft and not as sticky compared to other types of hard candy and sweet treats, they’re deceivingly tough on braces.
Gummy worms still tend to get stuck under your braces, ultimately leading to loose braces and tooth cavities.
Like other hard food that can stick to your teeth, gummy worms and candy can effortlessly get stuck in areas around the teeth that regular brushing cannot reach (we show you how to properly clean them a bit further in this article..).
This will gradually cause tooth decay and potentially damaged brackets and wires.
Can Gummy Worms Break Braces?
Yes. Gummy worms elastic and gummy texture can potentially pull off the brackets on your teeth when eating them.
Remember that every time you decide to eat these gummy worms, you risk them sticking to your braces and pulling them, bending them and leading to problems like damaged or even broken brackets.
It also adheres pretty quickly to the teeth making it challenging to brush off the candy, and the more you eat and they get stuck, dental plaque will form on your teeth, requiring you to visit the dentist for professional cleaning.
Can I Eat Gummy Worms in The First Week of Braces?
In the first week of braces, most foods will be very sore to the bite and your gums will feel tender.
Most orthodontists would advise against gummy candy full stop, let alone in the first week where chewing may be painful.
It’s also the period when they’re very much prone to damage as you’ve not had experience eating with them before.
Candy can gather close to your braces, teeth and gums leading to decalcification, gum disease, and cavities.
While we know that gummy worms and similar candies have a rabid and ever-developing fan base (including us!), they’re a very bad idea, especially in the first week where it’s painful to chew as it is.
Avoid candy in the first week, even candy that you perceive to be softer.
How Can I Eat Candy With Braces?
The only real solution, which is probably not as satisfying as chewing the candies, is to suck on them until they melt into your mouth.
Obviously, this isn’t the most fun way to enjoy candy and gummy sweets, but it’s a compromise.
How to Clean Gummy Worms and Sticky Candies From Braces
If you’ve caved into the temptation of eating candy with braces, then it’s not the end of the world, but you will need to know how to clean them out.
Here’s a Step by Step Guide to Cleaning a Sweet Treat From Braces:
- You’ll need two pieces of equipment – An orthodontic brush and an interdental brush
- First take your orthodontic brush (looks like a tooth brush but has a cleffed and curved head) and brush softly with toothpaste around your teeth.
- This step should remove the larger, obvious pieces of most candy and all the sugar from your teeth and braces.
- There will be other, smaller particles of chewy candy which my prove extremely hard to remove. This is where the smaller interdental brushes come into play.
- Take the brush and softly (remember that braces tend to cause more gum inflammation so be careful) poke into the tight spaces around your teeth and braces where the hard candies remain, being careful to avoid broken brackets.
- Rinse your mouth out with warm water and repeat the process if necessary
If you can’t remove certain candies from your teeth and feel them in your braces for days, then you will probably require orthodontic treatment, as just brushing won’t solve this issue caused by the gummy worms surrounding your teeth and braces.
The good news is that studies show (1) people eat less candy with braces during and after treatment, so your sweet tooth is likely to diminish over time.
Can You Eat Sour Gummy Worms with Braces?
While gummy worms come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, the answer to if you can eat ‘Sour Gummy Worms’ is still and will always be a no if following recommendations.
All Gummy Bears, irrespective of their nature, are typically made using sugar, glucose syrup, citric acid, flavorings, starch, food coloring, and gelatin.
What do all these ingredients have in common?
Most mean more risk of cavities, and while sugar is forever problematic for your teeth, it has an even more significant concern when you wear braces.
Eating Gummy Candies While Wearing Braces FAQs
These are the most frequently asked questions we’ve seen on the topic of what candies you can eat with braces and what you can’t.
We’ve answered them below:
Can I Eat Trolli Gummies With Braces?
No. In plain words, you generally should not eat any brand of gummies, chewy candy bars, bubble gum etc while wearing braces.
Remember that your teeth and gums are at their most sensitive when you have braces on.
Biting into any gummies can stick to and do more damage to your braces than you realize.
Also, the problem with gummies and sweets is that they stay in your mouth for prolonged periods, bringing us to the end that your teeth are constantly soaked with sugar damaging the wires, brackets, and rubber bands.
Even if you devour the gummy worms in small quantities, they will slip beneath the wires of your braces, dislodging the brackets when you chew them.
As an aside, one of the most common questions we get asked about this brand of candy is, are Trolli gummy worms gluten free? We answer this question in detail.
It’s also often asked whether Trolli gummy worms are halal or vegan. We’ve got both of these questions covered too.
Can You Eat Gummy Bears With Braces?
All sticky sweets cause damage to your braces by potentially knocking the brackets off your teeth and getting stuck in them.
Since Gummy Bears fall under the same category, no; you can’t eat them while you have braces on.
By doing so, you additionally provide force to the brackets, which will possibly trigger a broken bracket, bending of them and/or causing damage to your teeth.
As harmless as they seem, don’t be surprised when your brackets pop abruptly, but the one way to eat them, and the only way with caution, is to suck on the gummies until it is gone.
However, this is challenging to supervise, so you must be careful when eating them.
Other Candy to Avoid With Braces
- Peanut butter cups
- Sour patch kids
- Chewing gum and bubble gum (including sugar free gum)
- Chocolate (including chocolate bars)
- Jolly ranchers
- Tootsie rolls
- Potato chips
- Hershey kisses
- Toffee and caramel
And other similar textured sweets.
Can People with Braces Eat Jellies? (An Alternative)
While we’ve discussed why you should steer clear of any gummy candies because of their risks when you have your braces on, jellies are completely good to go with braces.
Because of its soft nature, you’ll experience less to no pain.
It’s effortless to ingest and serves as a refreshing light, sweet snack and dessert.
You can add a small amount of whipped cream to have a rich delicacy that won’t impact your braces.
It is vital to remember that although jellies are harmless for the most part, some flavors contain a lot more food coloring and sugar than the rest, potentially leading to staining of the teeth if you’re not cautious.
Also, overeating sugar can affect the teeth, so it is vital to keep these indulgences as occasional delights.
Summary
During the initial stage of getting braces, you may need to remind yourself what you can and can’t eat. Gummy and hard candy with braces are generally a no-no.
It is essential to be mindful of what you can eat with braces to let them successfully do their job.
A study in the Journal of Orthodontics (2) shows that people undergoing orthodontic treatment generally avoid hard candy and foods anyway due to fear of breaking the brace or due to embarrassment of how hard it is to eat with them.
If you’ve caved to temptation, maybe during Halloween where Halloween candy is abundant, and consumed gummy worms with braces, you have to ensure there’s no deterioration to your braces because that will eventually damage them and your teeth by causing cavities.
See our braces cleaning guide above.
Motivating yourself to brush daily and floss your teeth regularly after getting orthodontic treatment is essential.
Remember that your teeth always need brushing regardless of how clean you eat and how healthy your diet is.
Maintaining your teeth and keeping them free of plaque and food debris supports tooth activity and prevents tooth decay.
If you notice discomfort, inspect your mouth and braces for any signs of damage instantly. Contact your dentist if you notice a visible issue.
In case of discomfort, you can temporarily reduce the pain by flushing your mouth out with lukewarm saltwater.
Ultimately most orthodontists will be happier if you avoid candies but other orthodontists may give you a list of some that you may be able to enjoy. Follow their guidance for best results.
REFERENCES:
(1) Patient Prefer Adherence. 2020; 14: 1991–2000.
Adherence to Dietary Advice and Oral Hygiene Practices Among Orthodontic Patients https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7586054/
(2) Journal of Orthodontics – Volume 42, 2015 – Issue 2
The impact of orthodontic appliances on eating — young people’s views and experiences https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/1465313314Y.0000000128?journalCode=yjor20
