Here at Bankhead Orthodontic Specialists, Dr. Darren, Dr. Alex, Dr. Courtney, Dr. Jacob, and the whole team are proud to be your go-to resource for all things orthodontics, 365 days a year. And that definitely applies to the holiday season! We love the holidays, we love the treats, but we love keeping your smile safe even more! So let’s take a look at this rundown of the dos and don’ts of holiday snacking!
Holiday Treats You Can Enjoy With Braces
‘Tis the season for warm gatherings, festive flavours, and the kind of treats we look forward to all year long. At Bankhead Orthodontic Specialists, our doctors and team love seeing families celebrate everything that makes this time of year meaningful, from Christmas cookies and winter desserts to the unique dishes that show up at holiday parties, family dinners, school celebrations, and seasonal events across the greater St. Louis area. If you’re wearing braces, though, it’s completely normal to wonder which goodies you can safely enjoy and which ones might put your brackets or wires at risk. The holidays are a time to relax and have fun, not to stress over every bite, so we’ve put together a guide to help you navigate your favourite festive foods with confidence. With the right choices and a little know-how, you can enjoy the season fully while keeping your braces protected and your treatment on track.
Why Holiday Treats Require Extra Care With Braces
The holiday season brings an explosion of textures, like crunchy, chewy, sticky, caramelized, candied, baked-hard, dipped-in-chocolate, and everything in between. While these treats are delicious, many of them are exactly the kinds of foods that can cause issues for anyone wearing braces. Hard textures can exert too much pressure on brackets when you bite down, leading to bent wires or popped brackets. Sticky or chewy textures can cling to wires, pull on appliances, and make it difficult to clean around the brackets, which increases the risk of plaque buildup or irritation. This doesn’t mean you have to sit out the festivities. It simply means that a little extra awareness keeps you from having an unexpected orthodontic emergency in the middle of the holiday rush. Taking a few moments to choose treats wisely helps protect your appliances and keeps your smile moving forward uninterrupted.
The Problem With Sticky and Crunchy Snacks
Many beloved seasonal treats fall into one of two challenging categories: sticky or crunchy. Candy canes, toffee, peanut brittle, over-baked gingerbread, hard biscotti, caramel popcorn, and chocolate-covered nuts tend to put a lot of strain on brackets. When you bite into something that requires force or resistance, that pressure transfers directly to your appliances. On the sticky side, items like caramel chews, taffy, nougat, dense molasses cookies, and anything with a gooey pull can latch onto braces, tugging at wires and lingering long after you’ve finished the treat. These issues aren’t always noticeable right away, but they can cause discomfort later or lead to an unplanned visit. Knowing how these foods behave makes it easier to recognise when something is worth enjoying and when you should reach for a safer, softer alternative.
Protecting Your Brackets and Wires
Your braces are designed to move your teeth gently and consistently, which means anything that adds sudden, intense pressure can interrupt their progress. This goes for clear braces, too.
The holidays naturally encourage snacking and tasting new things, especially when you’re surrounded by family and friends sharing trays of festive desserts. Taking a moment to consider how a treat will break apart, or whether it will break apart at all, can save you from unnecessary soreness or appliance damage. Even small adjustments, like cutting softer baked goods into smaller bites or choosing versions without crunchy mix-ins, help keep your braces protected. With a mindful approach, you can enjoy almost all the flavour and fun of the holidays while keeping your smile safe.
Braces-Friendly Holiday Treats You Can Enjoy
The best part about navigating holiday treats with braces is discovering how many delicious, festive options are still completely safe to enjoy. Soft textures, warm flavours, and melt-in-your-mouth desserts tend to be the friendliest choices, and many traditional holiday dishes naturally fall into these categories. Whether you’re celebrating at home, visiting family, or attending gatherings around St. Louis, you’ll find plenty of indulgent, braces-friendly treats that let you participate fully in the fun.
Soft Holiday Desserts
So many classic holiday desserts already fit perfectly into a braces-friendly lifestyle. Soft sugar cookies, tender gingerbread loaf, pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie, cheesecake, sponge cake, banana bread, trifles layered with custard and berries, bread pudding, warm brownie desserts, and soft Christmas-morning pastries all give you the holiday flavours you crave without challenging your brackets. These treats tend to be gentle on sensitive teeth, especially during the colder months when temperature sensitivity is common. Soft, moist desserts also tend to dissolve easily and require minimal chewing, which reduces irritation and makes them ideal if you’ve had a recent adjustment.
Festive Pastries for Every Tradition
Holiday celebrations are as diverse as the families who enjoy them. Many cultural traditions include pastries and desserts that are naturally braces-friendly, especially those filled with custard, cream, fruit, or chocolate. Soft doughnuts, tender rolled pastries, lightly baked desserts, steamed puddings, and custard-based dishes are all wonderful choices. Even if your family prepares foods that are less familiar to others, looking for versions that are moist, soft, and easy to cut goes a long way. The key is choosing items that break apart easily with a fork rather than something that requires force to bite into.
Warm, Comforting Seasonal Snacks
Some of the best holiday treats are the warm, comforting ones that help you slow down and enjoy the season. Hot cocoa topped with soft marshmallows, warm apple bakes, fruit cobblers, spiced muffins, cinnamon rolls, and other soft winter staples are perfect options for anyone wearing braces. These comfort foods soothe soreness, are easy on brackets, and add to the cosy atmosphere of holiday gatherings without any risk of damage. If your teeth feel tender after an adjustment or from colder weather, these warm treats can be especially comforting.
Holiday Treats to Avoid With Braces
Even with so many braces-friendly options, there are a few holiday staples you’ll want to avoid until your treatment is complete. While it can feel disappointing to skip something, remember that these choices are temporary, and avoiding them now prevents setbacks that could extend your treatment or cause unnecessary discomfort later.
Hard and Crunchy Treats
Hard cookies, candy canes, brittle, peppermint bark, chocolate-covered nuts, and crunch-heavy desserts pose the biggest risk. These foods require significant pressure to bite through, which increases your chances of bending a wire or knocking off a bracket. Even small bites of these items can be unpredictable, so it’s safest to set them aside for the season. Choosing softer alternatives still gives you plenty of delicious options without compromising your progress.
Sticky or Chewy Sweets
Sticky sweets like caramels, taffy, chewy nougats, gummy candies, and dense caramel-based treats can cling to your appliances in ways that make cleaning difficult and create pressure you might not even notice at first. Once these foods adhere to brackets or wires, they often require aggressive brushing to remove, which is uncomfortable and can irritate your gums. Keeping clear of these items simplifies your routine and protects your smile.
Why These Can Cause Trouble
Hard and sticky textures create the exact conditions that lead to most orthodontic emergencies, including sudden pressure, uneven forces, pulling, and bending. Braces rely on consistency for progress, and any disruption can delay that progress or require repairs. Avoiding these riskier foods now helps ensure your treatment stays smooth and predictable.
Ready to Keep Your Smile Moving Forward?
If you’re thinking about starting treatment or you simply want a little more support during the holidays, Bankhead Orthodontic Specialists is here to help. You can schedule a free consultation at any of our convenient locations in Lake St. Louis, Wentzville, O’Fallon, Chesterfield, or Washington, and our team will walk you through everything you need to know about orthodontic care for all ages.
Whether you’re exploring treatment options, checking out answers to common questions, or getting to know the office closest to you, we’re here to make your smile journey smooth, comfortable, and confident from day one.