This is a list of soft foods by category, which might be helpful if your teeth hurt from braces and you’re just searching for ideas about what you can eat.
Dairy
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Smooth yogurt, or yogurt without a lot of chunks. You could also take chunky yogurt and puree it in a blender to break down the chunks. Also, try the new yogurt in a tube, available at most grocery stores.
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Various soft cheeses, such as brie, cottage cheese, and thinly sliced Swiss, cheddar, harvarti, etc.
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Milk-based drinks
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Custard
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Pudding
Breads and Baked Goods
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Any type of soft bread that does not have seeds, nuts, or pieces of whole grains. If you like whole-wheat bread, look for one that has a smooth texture. Tear off the crust if necessary.
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Muffins without nuts or chunks
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Corn bread, corn muffins
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Soft cakes
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Tortillas (corn and flour, microwaved or steamed until soft)
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Pancakes
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Saltine crackers and matzo are often soft enough to smoosh at the roof of your mouth with your tongue
Grains
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Couscous
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Quinoa
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Pasta
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Noodles
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Soft-cooked rice, risotto
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Bulgur
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Kasha
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Farro wheat (cooked very soft like risotto)
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Polenta
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Matzo balls
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Grits
Meats and Poultry
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Soft-cooked chicken
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Bar-b-que type soft cooked meat
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Meatloaf
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Chicken salad
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Thinly sliced lunch meats
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Meatballs
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Many meat recipes that you make in a crock pot or pressure cooker are very tender
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Chicken nuggets cut into very small pieces
Meat Alternatives
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Tofu can be made in many ways and is always easy to eat.
Seafood
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Soft-cooked fish
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Fish croquettes (salmon, tuna)
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Fish loaf (tuna, salmon)
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Tuna, salmon, or whitefish salad
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Frozen flavored fish filets
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Crab cakes
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Fish sticks (non-crunchy, cut into small pieces)
Soups
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Look in your local grocery store for soups that either don’t contain chunks, or have very mushy ingredients.
Vegetables
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Soft-cooked carrots, squash
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Mashed potatoes or cauliflower
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Potato pancakes
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Smooshed potato salad
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Cole slaw
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Spinach or corn soufflé (Stouffer’s makes a frozen one)
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Fresh spinach, chard, kale, or other greens, cooked very soft or steamed and cut up
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Avocados, guacamole
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Salsa (non-chunky)
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Beans (mashed if necessary)
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Hummus, various Middle Eastern dips
Fruits
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Mashed bananas
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Applesauce
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Baked apples
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Fruit juice, juice smoothies (protein powder can be added)
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Other ripe fruits that get mushy (avoid berries with seeds)
Treats
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Ice cream without nuts or chunks, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet, granita
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Milkshakes, smoothies
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Most cold drinks make your teeth feel better – iced tea, iced coffee, etc. But be careful not to inadvertently drink too much caffeine!
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Soft cakes
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Cheesecake that has been microwaved for 30 seconds to one minute (it gets a bit mushy and easier to eat)
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Cream pies
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Jell-O (gelatin)
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Custard or flan
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Pudding
Shakes and Bars
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Protein shakes such as Atkins Plus, Ensure High Protein, Boost, Slim Fast, etc.
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Zone Perfect Bars (when you can chew a little bit. These are the least chewy protein bars I’ve found so far, with a texture like Rice Krispy Treats).