Braces and food

silverharp

Junior just got a set to braces for his teeth , he is 11 , now seems cant eat a lot of normal stuff that he would normally have done. Did anyone here find they had to reinvent their diet. Or does it settle down a bit when they get used to them?

pwurple

It settles. And then gets sore again for a couple of days every time there is an adjustment.

Chewing gum and toffee was about the only thing I couldn't manage when I had them. Everything else could be sorted with a toothpick or a quick brush. What's he avoiding?

heathledgerlove

I had braces for years as a teen & ate normally the whole time, they did feel weird at first and when the wires got changed (traintracks) it was too painful to eat anything ( I used to chew icecubes for the numbing effect! )

I would advise against really hard toffees or chew bars, they could damage the brace. And go easy on the sugary things because the last thing you want is needing a tooth out when they are all supposed to be rearranging themselves!

The biggest change / hassle at the time was that I was compelled to brush my teeth religiously after every eating, because food did get caught, but it's a good thing because it's a habit that has lasted

Toots

Gum and toffee/chewy sweets were a no-go because it got stuck everywhere. Also corn on the cob just ended up getting shredded by the braces! If I was eating an apple I'd cut it into segments which would make it much more manageable. If he can avoid the likes of breakfast orange and fizzies he'll be doing himself a huge favour, because they can and do cause marks on teeth, no matter how well you brush. If you haven't already, get a pack of disclosing tablets which will highlight plaque on the teeth and show him if there's any areas he's missing when he brushes, I still use these once a week.

I had braces from age 15 until I was 19, so lots of experience. In general I found that after the first month it was much easier to eat with them - it just took getting used to. He'll probably experience discomfort for a few days after getting them tightened anyway, so for those days it'll be easier to eat softer foods that don't require as much chewing.

Bored_lad

I've had my braces off for about a year now so I'll tell you what I learned during that time. Firstly the only food you actually need to avoid is stuff like hard toffees and chewing gum as they can damage the brackets on your braces and you will have to return to the orthodnists and get them fixed. Also his mouth will be sore for a few days after getting the wire tightened but your fine once you get used to it. For the first few days just try to eat soft foods as they are easiest to eat. Also get the smallest size interdental brushes you can get I use the pink teepee ones and they are great for getting food out from between teeth and wires since you can't floss.

LegacyUser

I actually have braces right now and yeah, my diet has changed.

Have to chop fruit into chunks, I can't just bite into an apple or whatever
Fizzy drinks are supposedly very bad for them.
Biscuits are hard to eat because I can't really just bite into them - have to dunk them first Anything that offers resistance to bite into, I have to think twice about eating!
I can still eat most normal dinner foods etc, but I find rice is a complete nightmare, gets stuck everywhere!! So puts me off it a bit. Breakfast cereal - ditto. Cheerios are a bloody nuisance, granola gets stuck everywhere and Special K the same! Burgers or anything like that would be a no no too.

I lost half a stone when mine first went on - I just had to really think whether I needed to eat or not for several weeks! It's sore, radiates up and down into your jaw. Also your teeth do shift a lot and when they're constrained by the wire that hurts. That pain can come and go over several weeks - one day you're fine, the next 3 days, there are 4 teeth that hurt like hell for no reason!Then there's the feeling of your mouth getting used to having hard brackets and wires in it, that's sore too.

I can tell you 6 months down the road, it does get better, but they're still very sensitive when they get tightened. And I cannot wait to get the bloody things off and eat properly again!!

Also - make sure he brushes regularly - you don't want them to come off and have little white squares underneath where the brackets are, and the rest of the tooth around them discoloured from not brushing.