Getting Braces Means A Change In Your Diet

Appliances are more than just refrigerators and microwaves. Our oldest daughter just got braces, those “fixed appliances” that are cemented in the mouth.

Most people have braces for about two years, says Dr. Diane Paxton of Ellingsen and Paxton Orthodontics. Braces typically go on after the 12-year-molars come in, she says.

Clinical specialist Elisabeth Fiedler, who worked with my daughter, filled me in on food concerns.

Of course, hard, sticky, sugary foods are a no-no. Really sweet foods, such as cake and pie, are not recommended on a regular basis. Lemons also happen to be on the banned list.

“There’s acid in lemons,” says Fiedler. “Acid eats the enamel right off the teeth.”

No more nuts, popcorn, corn chips, corn-on-the-cob or hard pizza crusts. Corn nuts are out (and chewing on pencils is discouraged.) Regular gum is not recommended.

“She can chew gum once in a while, if it’s sugarless, and only half a stick at a time,” Fiedler says. Gum can bend the wires and pull the braces right off the teeth.

The carbonation in soda pop can attack the cement on the tooth and loosen it. Ice is also discouraged.

“Chewing on ice is like chewing on rocks; you’ve got to be careful,” says Fiedler, who’s worked in orthodontics for 16 years. “Even if you don’t have braces, if you chew on ice you can break the enamel or a filling. It’s really hard on your teeth.”

Brushing teeth religiously is vital to remove bits of food caught among the braces, which can cause cavities.

“It just breaks your heart if you take off someone’s braces and they haven’t brushed,” says Paxton.

So we’ve got some dietary changes going that are all for the better, both teeth- and nutrition-wise. My daughter may bemoan the fact that she can’t eat the goodies she’s used to but she knows that for good teeth, and for good-looking teeth, out goes the sugar.

Here’s an entree for those first days of braces, when teeth are tender and sore.

Radiatore and Cheese

From “The Easier You Make It, The Better It Tastes!” (Better Homes and Gardens, 1994).

12 ounces dried radiatore or corkscrew pasta

1-1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

1-1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 teaspoon prepared crushed garlic

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain well. Return pasta to the warm pan. Gently stir in the cheese, tomatoes, green onion, oregano and garlic.

Pour the milk into a jar that has a lid. Add the flour and salt. Cover and shake well to combine.

Stir the milk mixture into the radiatore mixture. Cook, stirring gently, over medium heat until the cheese has melted and the mixture is thick and bubbly (about 3 to 4 minutes).

Yield: 5 or 6 main-dish servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 438 calories, 19 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrate, 14 grams fat (28 percent fat calories), 54 milligrams cholesterol, 457 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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