I'm getting braces tomorrow and this is a life or death situation: can I still have coffee with braces??! I drink it hot and cold and I would also like how it would affect me if I did drink it (hot and cold)


  • 1
    Why wouldn't you be able to, or what's your concern? Were there other foods you were told to avoid that were similar in some way? Sharing research or background is a good way to get more-relevant responses. Good luck with your braces!
    – hoc_age
    Jan 12, 2016 at 12:09
  • My dentist and my son's orthodontist are always talking about staining with coffee. Since I don't care about staining, I'd say it's up to you. My son had a lot of temperature sensitivity right after getting his braces installed. That might be what you're in for. A bit of sensitivity to hot and cold for a few weeks.
    – Warren P
    Jan 16, 2016 at 2:28

2 Answers 2


Coffee should be fine (unless you've heard otherwise from your dentist or other health care people of course!). There should be no additional concern about coffee, e.g., its acidity or temperature (other than normal caution).

There are some foods to avoid, but I don't see coffee or anything similar on any list of foods to avoid; here's a few curated lists:

In general, the recommendations are to avoid hard foods (e.g., crusty bread, ice cubes, popcorn) or sticky foods (e.g., gum, hard candy, caramels), and to be careful of sweets in general (which can promote tooth decay in general but can be more difficult to clean-out with braces.)

If anything, take less sugar with your coffee! Otherwise, continue to enjoy your coffee.


You can most assuredly still drink coffee. I suppose it may stain them if you don't regularly clean them.

  • Do you have personal experience with this? Reason for lack of concern? Links? Any will help bolster your answer. Good point about staining and cleaning well.
    – hoc_age
    Jan 12, 2016 at 12:25
  • I'm honestly more confused as to why you would be concerned in the first place? I drank plenty of coffee when I had braces on, and nothing happened to me. Just keep them clean and all should be fine as long as you didn't get your braces put on in a dark alley somewhere.
    – Induction
    Jan 14, 2016 at 1:27
