Dried mango used to be one of our favorite treats. As a sweet snack, it’s a bit better than candy and feels like a rare treat. But the “used to” probably gives it away…
Can You Eat Dried Mango With Braces?
Eating dried mango with braces is a bad idea, and you’ll likely regret it just a couple of bites in. The problem is that dried mango is really sticky and gummy. When you chew, the pieces break up into sticky chunks that immediately lodge themselves in between brackets and teeth.
Not only does it feel uncomfortable – think popcorn kernels – but it’ll have your tongue trying to remove it all straight away. With braces, this nearly always leads to a sore tongue or ulcers.
I learned this the hard way and had to hand off a whole packet of this dried delicacy to a friend after just one mango. Just a few more months though and I’ll be braces-free and ready to snack once more!
Why Eating Dried Mango With Braces Is A Bad Idea
The biggest problem is that having sugary food stuck next to your teeth is really bad for oral health and braces. Fruit contains a tonne of sugar and dried fruit is no exception.
The second problem is that because dried mango is so sticky, there is a chance that while chewing, it could break a bracket off. This happens when you bite down, get the mango stuck on your braces, then as you open the jaw it literally pulls the metal bracket off of your tooth.
Can You Eat Mango With Braces?
While the dried form is the worst because of the added stickiness, eating a fresh mango with braces is also a bad idea. Mango seems pretty much like any other fruit, but it’s actually really fibrous.
We mean that in the sense that it has literal fibrous strands running through it, not just for fruit’s high fiber content. These strands get stuck in braces so fast that you’ll instantly want to floss to get the bits out.
If you chop up mango pieces really small it can help. However, we’d say it’s better to avoid eating mango with braces completely. We know, it sucks.
What Fruit Can You Eat With Braces?
Dried fruit is mainly off the cards, but there are plenty of fruits that are fairly safe to eat with braces. Strawberries and grapes are excellent choices, as well as bananas and avocados. Check out our full article for more – What Fruits Can You Eat With Braces.
Always bear in mind that sugary foods are bad for teeth and braces overall, so you’ll need to swill or drink water after eating, then brush 30 minutes later.
Can You Eat Dried Mango With Invisalign?
Yes – with a warning. You really need to get rid of all of the sticky chunks of mango out of your teeth before putting your trays back in. Because dried mango is so sticky it’s really hard to remove.
If you want to eat mango or dried mango while wearing Invisalign, make sure you have a really good water flosser and electric toothbrush combo to hand.
You might also find that if you have a lot of them, dried mango can lead to Invisalign attachments falling off. That stickiness grabs to anything in your mouth and can pull them off.