Summary Aim To determine whether wearing orthodontic appliances was associated with eating difficulty and lower sugars intake among British adolescents. Methods This study analysed data from 4116 12- and 15-year-olds who participated in the 2013 Children’s Dental Health Survey in the UK. Information on eating difficulties in the past 3 months and usual intake of six sugary items was collected through self-administered questionnaires. The presence and type of orthodontic appliances (fixed or removable) were assessed during clinical examinations. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between wearing orthodontic appliances and eating difficulty whereas linear regression was used to evaluate the association between wearing orthodontic appliances and sugars intake. Regression models were adjusted for socio-demographic, behavioural, and clinical characteristics of adolescents. Results 12.9 per cent of the 4116 adolescents wore orthodontic appliances (10.1 per cent fixed and 2.8 per cent removable), 21.0 per cent reported eating difficulties and the mean daily intake of sugars was 5.3 times/day (SD: 3.7, range: 0–20). Adolescents with fixed appliances had 4.02 (95% CI: 3.03, 5.33) greater odds of reporting eating difficulty than those with no appliances, but no differences were found between adolescents wearing removable and no appliances. No association was found between wearing orthodontic appliances and daily sugars intake either [coefficients of 0.20 (95% CI: –0.27, 0.66) and –0.30 (95% CI: –0.96 to 0.36) for adolescents wearing fixed and removable appliances, respectively]. Conclusion Wearing fixed orthodontic appliances were associated with greater odds of reporting eating difficulty, but not with lower sugars intake among British adolescents.