The placement of orthodontic braces requires dietary adjustments, as patients must avoid foods that are hard, sticky, or excessively crunchy. These foods pose the greatest risk of damaging the brackets, wires, and bands. A common concern is whether cheese must be eliminated from the diet during treatment. Fortunately, cheese is generally considered a safe and even beneficial food choice for those wearing braces.
Why Most Cheese is Safe
Most cheese varieties are safe to consume because they possess a soft texture that requires minimal chewing force. Soft cheeses, such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, and fresh mozzarella, do not put undue stress on the bonded brackets or archwires. These options are easily mashed and swallowed, reducing the risk of dislodging hardware.
Processed cheeses, like American slices or mild, thinly sliced varieties, are also acceptable due to their high moisture content and tendency to melt quickly. Cheese offers nutritional benefits, providing calcium and casein, a protein that helps strengthen tooth enamel. To ensure safety, patients should cut softer blocks of cheese into small, bite-sized pieces and chew primarily with their back teeth. This technique prevents the front teeth from applying direct force to the brackets when biting into a larger piece.
Specific Cheeses That Pose a Risk
While many cheeses are acceptable, the risk increases with hardness and chewiness, making certain types problematic. Hard, aged cheeses, such as Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or firm cheddar blocks, present a threat because of their dense structure. Biting directly into these rigid cheeses can generate enough localized force to strain the archwire or break the adhesive bond holding a bracket.
Highly chewy or stringy cheeses require repetitive jaw movements that can loosen the orthodontic hardware. String cheese, for instance, often encourages tearing or pulling actions with the front teeth, which commonly dislodges brackets. Cheese rinds should also be avoided due to their tough, unyielding nature. If a hard cheese must be consumed, grating it finely or melting it into a soft dish is the only recommended preparation method.
Cleaning After Eating Dairy
Consuming any dairy product, even soft cheese, necessitates diligent oral hygiene to prevent plaque accumulation around the orthodontic components. Although cheese is not typically sticky, its residue can easily become trapped between the brackets, under the archwire, and along the gumline. This trapped food debris provides a substrate for bacteria, increasing the risk of demineralization and white spots on the enamel.
Immediately after eating, swish vigorously with water to dislodge larger food particles. Follow this with a thorough brushing session, using a soft-bristled toothbrush angled both above and below the brackets. Special cleaning tools, such as interdental brushes (proxy brushes), are designed to clean beneath the archwire and around the brackets where a standard brush cannot reach. Utilizing a floss threader or a water flosser once per day is recommended to remove remaining residue from between the teeth.