Whenever you think of the holidays, pictures of family gatherings, games, and most importantly, holiday dinners!
Sitting down at the table with your loved ones to eat a home-cooked meal is arguably one of the best parts of the season. Thanksgiving plates piled high, Christmas cookies cooling on the counter, New Year’s feasts with family and friends, the end-of-year stretch is essentially one long food celebration, and who is complaining!
Now, if you or your child is wearing braces during the holiday season, you can still enjoy the holiday feast, but here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to what exactly you can eat.
Luckily, though, you don’t have to skip all of the classics!
Leveraging insights straight from Dr. Thomas Dobie, a leading Orthodontist in Hamden, CT, we were able to identify foods that are safe to eat with braces, and some to avoid, as well as some best practices when it comes to cleaning after your meal.
Thanksgiving With Braces: What’s Safe, What to Skip
Thanksgiving dinner is full of soft, comforting dishes, which makes it surprisingly braces-friendly. According to Dr. Dobie and his team at Dobie Revolution Orthodontics, here’s what works:
Best Thanksgiving Foods for Braces
- Cranberry sauce
- Stuffing
- Turkey off the bone
- Mashed potatoes
- Pumpkin pie
All of these are soft, gentle on brackets, and easy to chew.
Thanksgiving Foods to Avoid
- Nuts in desserts
- Bone-in meats
- Pie crusts
- Crunchy bread rolls
- Raw vegetables
The biggest culprits are anything crunchy, sticky, or attached to a bone. For example, try swapping out softer dinner rolls instead of crusty ones if possible.
Christmas Dinner With Braces: Enjoy the Feast Without the Fear
Christmas meals tend to be large, festive, and loaded with sweets! Dr. Dobie notes that many traditional dishes are actually quite safe for braces.
Best Christmas Foods for Braces
- Soft dinner rolls
- Soft candies
- Roast turkey or ham
- Soft Christmas cookies
- Mashed potatoes
Think “soft, warm, and slow-cooked.” If it melts in your mouth or pulls apart easily, you’re good to go.
Christmas Foods to Avoid
- Nuts
- Candy canes
- Popcorn
- Caramel treats
- Crunchy cookies
Candy canes are one of the biggest danger zones for brace-wearers — they are hard, sticky, and bend wires instantly. Stick to soft cookies or melt-in-your-mouth sweets instead.
New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day With Braces: Snack Smarter
New Year’s gatherings are usually more snack-heavy, which can be rather tricky for anyone wearing braces. Dr. Dobies’ guidelines keep things simple:
Best New Year’s Foods for Braces
- Deviled eggs
- Cooked vegetables
- Tender meats (turkey, roast chicken)
- Beef cut into small pieces
- Soft cheeses
- Mashed potatoes
These let you enjoy the spread without the crunch.
New Year’s Foods to Avoid
- Crunchy chips
- Nuts
- Sticky toffees
- Hard candies
- Popcorn
New Year’s snacks are the biggest danger here, as anything hard and bite-sized tends to be the first thing to break a bracket.
Holiday Snacking Tips from Dobie Revolution Orthodontics
Based directly on Dobie Revolution Orthodontics’ food lists:
General Holiday Foods You Can Enjoy
- Soft chocolates (without nuts or caramel)
- Soft meats and seafood
- Stews and chilis
- Soft dinner rolls
- Cheesecake, pumpkin pie, pudding, Jell-O
- Mashed potatoes
- Pasta and casseroles
- Cooked vegetables
Holiday Foods You Should Avoid
- Hard candies
- Sticky candies (caramel, toffee, taffy)
- Nuts
- Bone-in meats
- Hard breads
- Crunchy chips and crackers
- Popcorn
- Crunchy cookie edges
If it’s sticky, crunchy, or requires tearing with your front teeth, skip it.
How to Clean and Maintain Braces After Holiday Meals
Holiday meals tend to be sugary, sticky, and full of foods that cling to brackets. This is exactly when good brushing and flossing matter most.
Dr. Dobie has a long list of recommendations for managing your braces through the holidays, and we have taken the liberty of breaking down the most important points:
Be Patient and Thorough When Flossing
Dr. Dobie explains that patience is key:
“I think a lot of people floss incorrectly because they rush through it and don’t take the time to be meticulous.”
Holiday meals often leave food trapped around brackets, so slowing down matters more than ever.
Don’t Forget the Last Tooth
One of the biggest mistakes people make is skipping the very back of the mouth.
“The most common mistake that I see with flossing is not flossing behind the last tooth in the mouth.”
Dr. Dobie explains, as even soft foods like stuffing or mashed potatoes can sit on the back molars and irritate the gums.
Use the Right Floss for Your Teeth
Spacing matters, and technique is everything. Dr. Dobie explains this best when he said:
“If you have really tight contacts thin/tape like floss can be easier/better to use. If you have lighter contacts I have found thicker waxed floss to be better.”
When you’re dealing with holiday meals that include breads, soft desserts, or meats, using the correct floss makes it easier to remove trapped particles.
Floss Picks Are OK, But Only as a Backup
These picks may seem handy after big meals and overall more convenient, but not a true replacement.
“Those can be useful for removing food particles on the go after meals but this is not ideal for going below the gums and is not a replacement for daily flossing.”
You can keep one as a backup, but don’t rely on it.
Choose a Toothpaste That Protects Your Braces and Gums
Not all toothpastes are made the same. Dr. Dobie personally recommends:
“Crest Pro-Health because it contains stannous fluoride rather than sodium fluoride… Stannous fluoride provides unique protection against bacteria that cause both gum disease and tooth decay.”
Navigating Braces Over the Holidays
Wearing braces during the holidays doesn’t mean you have to skip your favorite meals or miss out on the party games. You just need to take a few smart steps before the holidays arrive to understand what you can and cannot eat.
Dr. Dobie of Dobie Revolution Orthodontics lays it out clearly:
Stick to soft foods, avoid sticky or crunchy treats, and take extra time to clean your teeth afterward. Following his guidance will keep your smile comfortable, healthy, and bracket-break-free all season long.
