Eating with Lingual Braces with Extractions

[anarysse]

I got 4 premolar extractions prior to getting incognito braces, top and bottom. It's been about 2 weeks since I got the braces and while my teeth aren't sore anymore, I'm having trouble eating since there's a hole and wire where the extraction sites are. How do people do it!!

My ortho said I'll eventually get used to it and to try chewing on my back molars. Because of my cross/openbite, I can only really chew on my right side. I've already lost some weight eating mushy food all month and I REALLY REALLY miss food. I've been sticking to smoothies, juices, soups, overcooked pasta, and apple sauce. I'm also gluten/dairy free so it's slim pickings for me.

Has anyone gone through this? How did you manage eating? How long did it take to finally eat normal again?

[iob]

Hi - I can't speak to the extraction part, but I think many of us found it a challenge early in the process just to find any two opposing teeth that would meet. And once you find that magic spot, it will change the next month. It's not unique to linguals, although because of where they are on the front teeth it's pretty common for the lower front teeth to hit the upper brackets if you have any kind of deep bite (overlap). Kind of like a bite turbo whether you need it or not.

I thought the bigger issue early on was just getting accustomed to having less space to move food around, and having things get stuck and exacerbating the speech challenges. All in all, you'll naturally get used to which teeth are working and which aren't and you won't be thinking about it too much. That happens pretty quickly. The "getting stuck" part remains a bit of a challenge, but you start to subconsciously know and anticipate what loves to get stuck behind those front brackets - like bread - and head it off. At least with your linguals nobody can see what's getting jammed up in there. Good luck and happy food times!

[Shelleyt]

we are on similar timelines- mine go on two weeks from today and in one month I am having an extraction+exposure on my bottom left canine. Now I'm definitely nervous though a couple of lost pounds from less eating wouldn't be the worst date to befall me. I'm much more worried about speech issues, so I'm interested to know how you've adjusted. Are yours harmony or incognito?

[iob]

Are yours harmony or incognito?

Hi Shelley - I assume you're asking me since OP mentioned that hers are incognito. Mine are also.

[anarysse]

Sorry for the delayed response. Had issues logging in. My speech was bad the first week. In addition to the lisp, I had a tongue sore that made it harder to speak. I sounded a lot better after the sore healed. Now it's just a matter of getting used to it.

For food, it's taking at least an hour when I try to eat more solid foods. Ramen, eggs, and Mac and cheese are getting easier to eat though. My ortho assistant advised avoiding biting or chewing with my front teeth, so if none of my other teeth have a good bite each month idk what I'll do.

Has anyone used power chains/other things to help close the gaps faster?