9 Best Soft Foods To Eat To Survive Your 1st Month Of Wearing Braces

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Your journey to a set of perfect straight teeth has begun.

However, with your current sore teeth and gums, it's no secret that the first few weeks of wearing braces is going to be a challenge when it comes to eating.

We hope you love soup because it really is the easiest and most comforting meal for when your gums and teeth are sore from putting braces on.

Now is the time to expand your soup repertoire. It can be made from scratch or canned, brothy or creamy. Although, be forewarned, you will probably only be able to drink the broth and omit everything else that requires biting for now.

Try: Chicken soup, ABC vegetable soup, egg drop soup, miso soup, cream of mushroom soup (blended, if you can't bite the mushroom chunks).

Another food staple in your braces and sore gums menu — especially since you have two years worth of monthly tightening appointments coming up — is mashed potatoes.

Believe me, you may crave normal food, but when your gums are sore, eating soft, tasty, and homogenous food will be so absolutely comforting.

And, mashed potatoes are easy to prepare! Whether they're baked, steamed, or microwaved, they're the best mashed with some hot butter and salt.

Try: Mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes.

Yoghurt is another ideal food to eat when you have pain and difficulty chewing. Besides being easy to eat, cold foods such as yoghurt can provide immediate relief to sensitive teeth with tight braces on.

You can buy store-bought flavoured yoghurts for convenience, but for a healthier option with less sugar, buy Greek yoghurt and get busy making your own fruit blends!

Try: Plain yoghurt, fruit yoghurts.

Smoothies are a haven for sore teeth – the cold drink will relieve pain and swelling in your first week of braces, and you get to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Cheer yourself up with any combination of fruits such as strawberries, bananas, pineapples, or mangoes, and add chocolate, coffee, or peanut butter to boost the flavour. The possibilities are endless if you also enjoy drinking other milk alternatives such as soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk.

Try: Blending any frozen fruit and milk.

If you have not realised it, braces are a great excuse to eat dessert for lunch and dinner. Your food options are already limited, so you might as well enjoy the experience!

Before you get your braces on, or even before every tightening appointment, remember to have some soft meals planned ahead... and also have a tub of ice cream ready for you to come home!

Try: Any plain ice cream with no chips, nuts, or sticky toffee in it.

Since you can't bite or chew, getting your daily intake of protein may prove to be difficult in your first week of wearing braces.

Even eating the softest boiled chicken may hurt, so we are recommending soft boiled eggs on this list! With a splash of soy sauce and a pinch of pepper, you've got yourself a good meal. Alternatively, soft scrambled eggs will also do the trick.

Try: Three- to six-minute boiled eggs, scrambled eggs.

Congratulations, you've made it to the part of the list where more solid ingredients have come into the picture! Yes, even eating a grain of rice may hurt in the first week of braces.

Rice and porridge, however, are great to eat once your gums have become less sore. You don't have to eat plain congee. Cook your porridge as usual with all the good ingredients, but leave them out for your family members to finish up while you just sip the broth and eat the soft rice. :')

Try: White rice with soft condiments, porridge without the toppings.

Not all tofus are the same. Silken tofu is the softest and can be prepared in a variety of ways that are braces-friendly. Egg tofu is another alternative that is equally soft.

You can eat it cold with a few aromatics such as soy sauce and sesame oil (forget the spring onions for now), or thrown into a hot and spicy broth. Either way, they are best eaten with fluffy, white rice for a simple and soft meal.

Try: Silken tofu with soy sauce and served with rice, or if you're craving for a sweet treat, try blending it with melted chocolate! It makes a really good and instant chocolate mousse.

Another food that doesn't require using your teeth to bite is dips! More than just mashed vegetables, Mexican guacamole or Middle Eastern hummus and baba ghanoush taste amazing when paired with soft, white bread.

To make your meal even more braces-friendly, try tearing up your bread into smaller, bite-sized pieces so you don't have to chew too much.

Try: Guacamole, hummus, baba ghanoush.