This American classic comfort food has its roots in a more refined Italian dish – but the Kraft boxed version is probably the most well know. It’s quick and easy to cook and eat, but does the family favorite pass the braces test?
Can You Eat Mac And Cheese With Braces?
Luckily the answer is: Yes, you can eat mac and cheese with braces. Whatever you call it, be it mac and cheese, macaroni cheese, cheesy pasta bake, or baked mac – it’s all good. Cooked pasta in general is a good food to eat with braces as it’s soft, but smaller pasta shapes like the “elbow” Macaroni are especially good.
Mac and cheese is actually a very easy-to-eat food while wearing braces that shouldn’t cause any problems. It’s not the healthiest meal but depending on how you cook it’s not the worst either. We’d recommend a homemade version with real cheese and a bit of veg. Still, a once-in-a-while easy treat isn’t going to kill you!
How To Eat Mac And Cheese With Braces
There are just a couple of things to watch out for when eating macaroni cheese with braces: –
Eating Mac And Cheese With Braces Tip #1
Watch out for using very sticky cheese or very hard-cooked pasta. In our list of food to avoid eating with braces, we point out that sticky and chewy food can end up bending braces wire or possibility leading to a bracket break.
Honestly, because most macaroni cheese is really soft you should be fine. Just take smaller mouthfuls and don’t try to eat really fast. This goes for most food with braces and you’ll soon learn that smaller is better.
Eating Mac And Cheese With Braces Tip #2
Rinse your mouth out with water after eating, then brush and floss properly 30 to 60 minutes later Mac and cheese is fairly sweet and the sauce is very sticky. This sweet mess sticks to your teeth and braces and can lead to yellowing and cavities.
With braces, the buildup is harder to clean so you should take extra care not to get stains that stand out more after having braces removed. As long as you brush regularly you’ll be OK. We like using a water flosser to remove debris shortly after eating, then an electric toothbrush and interdental brushes for full flossing.
Can You Eat Kraft Mac And Cheese With Braces?
Kraft mac and cheese is a classic American staple from the 20’s that’s still well-loved today. You can eat Kraft mac and cheese with braces but you must beware of one thing – staining.
Kraft used to make this meal with artificial colors that had some staining effect on transparent rubber bands often used on braces. They’ve recently updated their recipe to use the natural coloring ingredients of turmeric, paprika, and annatto (made from annatto seeds from a bush common in Central America).
All of these can be staining on their own, and if you have transparent or white rubber bands you might find that the coloring stains them. If you have clear ceramic braces you should be OK but will need to rinse and brush after eating as usual. If you have elastic bands you can remove or replace yourself daily just keep some spare ones to hand.
Love Italian foods and other shapes of pasta? – Read Can You Eat Pasta With Braces?
Can You Eat Mac And Cheese With Spacers & Bite Blocks?
It’s also safe to eat macaroni cheese with spacers and bite blocks – also known as bite turbos or bite ramps. Because of how soft and easy to eat the meal is you won’t have any problems, just stick to the tips we gave earlier. Bite blocks are a pain, so finding softer foods to eat is really helpful.