Can You Eat Honey With Braces?

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Braces are very much a necessary measure to take when looking to enhance you,r or your child’s, smile and dental hygiene. They can be inconvenient and painful, but perhaps most challengingly, they disrupt your diet. What you eat with braces on must be monitored, especially when it comes to foods that are high in sugar. So, today it’s time to talk about whether your honey eating habit is safe whilst you’re wearing braces. 

So, can you eat honey with braces? You can eat honey with braces as it is not hard or chewy in texture, meaning eating honey doesn’t put pressure on your braces and consequently causes your brackets to pop off. Additionally, honey is relatively easy to clean off your teeth and braces, meaning you can stop the threat of tooth decay. 

Great news isn’t it.

Besides, a lot of sweet foods naturally get the chop where braces are concerned.

That being said, honey is still far from ideal and there are things you are going to want to consider.

We’ll be taking a look at that shortly.

So be sure to stick around!

Why You Can Eat Honey With Braces? 

You can eat honey with braces because its characteristics mean that it doesn’t pose high risks of damage to braces and pain in your teeth. Even though it is sticky, it can be cleaned from your teeth and braces, meaning further threats of tooth decay can easily be avoided.

There is a checklist of characteristics that we look for when identifying candies that are not safe to eat with braces.

By ‘not safe’ I mean they could likely result in brace damage and dislodgement, pain, tooth decay and other detrimental conditions like cavities. 

So let’s put honey to the test of our checklist. 

Firstly, candies that are hard and chewy are a big no-no.

This is because the stress and pressure put on our braces and teeth by biting into such treats can be so immense that it causes the brackets to pop off.

This isn’t good as it means you’ll need to get your orthodontist to refit them. 

Now, is honey chewy and hard? No, it’s not.

In fact, it’s very soft and even un-chewable!

So the threat of such brace damage brought about by high stress and pressure is very low. A good start!

The next issue is whether or not a piece of candy gets stuck in your braces.

If it does, then it can cause tooth decay and cavities through the accumulation of sugary bacteria.

Honey is sticky. So guess what? It gets stuck in your braces! 

Does this mean we have to throw honey out of the cupboard for our brace-wearing days?

Well, no.

If a particular piece of candy is susceptible to getting stuck in your braces, it can still be enjoyed as long as it is cleaned after eating.

Fortunately, honey is easily cleanable from the surfaces of your teeth and braces. We’ll talk about the best ways to do this soon!

Why Honey Isn’t Ideal If You Have Braces

Honey probably isn’t the most ideal treat to enjoy whilst you’re wearing braces because it is so sticky and high in sugar. This means it can easily get stuck in your braces, which could lead to tooth decay if not sufficiently removed.

Luckily, honey isn’t chewy and hard so there isn’t a big threat of brace damage and dislodgement.

However, the threat it does pose is that of tooth decay.

This is because it is so sticky, meaning it can easily get stuck in between your brackets.

Now, as honey is so high in sugar content, if left up there in your mouth, the sugar will leave an excess of bacteria.

This bacteria results in tooth decay and cavities which defeats the object of getting braces and taking care of your teeth in the first place!

Best Practices When Eating Honey With Braces 

The best practices for eating honey with braces concern moderating the amount you consume and ensuring your teeth and brackets are completely clean of honey afterwards. Only this way can the threats of tooth decay be avoided.

Unlike other sweet treats, honey cannot be modified so that it puts less pressure on your braces when eaten.

But guess what? That doesn’t matter as the hardness of honey isn’t the problem. 

Any threat of tooth decay posed by eating honey with braces is caused by the high sugar content and how sticky honey is.

You can’t make it less sticky and you can’t take the sugar out of it unless, of course, you are buying brands with lower sugar content.

So, how can you ensure you are eating honey safely with braces?

Limit Consumption

Firstly, you need to moderate how much you are eating.

Even people who don’t wear braces have to consider this, but it is especially important when you’re wearing braces.

So please, don’t eat as much honey as your stomach can take without it coming back up. You need to limit the amount of sugar your teeth and braces are having to endure!

If you have decided to eat honey whilst you’re wearing braces, I hope it was at meal time! This is the most suitable time to enjoy any sweet treat when you have braces.

Brush After

Now, you need to brush your teeth to remove any of the sticky bits of honey from your teeth and braces, so that they don’t leave an excess in sugar and bacteria, which as we know, could lead to tooth decay.

Brush your teeth 30 minutes after eating, so that your teeth’s enamel can return to its normal hard state after it has been softened by the sugary acids in the honey.

Floss

Brushing your teeth might not get the trick done on its own.

Instead, you might have to get the dental floss out.

Tie a knot in the string and carefully use this to dislodge any bits of honey that have decided to stay in your brackets or teeth.

Better Alternatives To Honey For Braces

Honey is a very versatile treat that you can put on anything (within reason). You will find plenty of other treats to cover your pancakes or toast or whatever it may be in.

However, it will be pretty tough to find a substitute that replicates the taste of honey.

Let’s face it, it’s a special and unique delight that is produced in the most amazing of fashions. You don’t see chocolate sauce being nurtured by swarms of bees, do you?

You can get pretty creative with whatever you choose to replace honey with on your pancakes.

Go crazy!

All that matters is whether you like it or not….and of course, whether it is safe to eat with braces.

What would be the point of eating an alternative to honey if it posed threats of brace damage, pain and tooth decay?

You might as well just stick with honey!

So, when looking for that replacement, you need to find one that is low in sugar, soft in texture, not chewy and not sticky.

If it is sticky or chewy, then it must be a treat that is easy to clean from your teeth. If it fulfils this criteria, then give it a go!

But if you need a little inspiration to get started, here is a list of some alternatives I’d recommend to honey:

  • Ice Cream
  • Yogurt
  • Chocolate Milk 
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • Smoothies
  • Jell-O
  • Jelly
  • Smooth Peanut Butter
  • Stevia
  • Sucralose
  • Yacon Syrup 
  • Other Non-Sticky Sweeteners

Finally

You can breathe now knowing that honey is ok to eat with braces….

…BUT! You must make sure your teeth are clean after eating!

Honey is sticky, so don’t let it stick for too long in your mouth.

Otherwise, yes you guessed it….TOOTH DECAY!

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