5 days, still can't chew..normal?

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#1 Post by **CanehdianGal** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 7:36 am

HI everyone,

my top braces with wire came on Tues morning. Along with 8 spacers on the bottom..I only have pain when I chew/eat anything. So it's been only soft foods. Top and bottom feel like my teeth r bruised when touched or moved. I haven't been able to floss yet, to painful..Is this a normal after 5 days. Could it last longer?

Ps..2 advils and or 2 tylenals do not help with the pain when eating.

#2 Post by **cowlypso** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:09 am

I couldn't chew anything harder than bean soup, mac and cheese, and freshly baked muffins when I had the spacers in. Those definitely were a pain in my masticatory rear...

I got my lower archwire a week ago, and the chewing felt better. Got my upper archwire Thursday and it's not as bad as with spacers, but still eating soft foods. Oatmeal, pasta, cooked veggies... Yesterday I had a protein bar, and that was a bit painful. I mostly just broke it into pieces and pretended to chew it.

So I think that's totally normal. Eat what you can. Try to chew even though it hurts. Chewing stimulates blood flow, which can make things feel better. So keep chewing the soft and semi-soft foods as much as you can and work your way up as you can tolerate it.

#3 Post by **CanehdianGal** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:15 am

"After braces it wasn't so much the pain as it was changing bite and learning where to chew my food so it didn't get trapped all in my brackets. "

Omg is there a " trick" so all the food doesn't get trapped everywhere???

Thankyou all for your input..Greatly appreciated.

One more question..Where can I find info on soft food menus? espeically lunch and dinner when I am out etc.. I'm getting sick of my protein shakes.

#4 Post by **cowlypso** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:24 am

If you are out to eat, remember that you can always substitute or order things that aren't necessarily on the menu. Just because they don't tell you that you can order mashed potatoes and steamed veggies doesn't mean that you can't. If they serve mashed potatoes and veggies as sides with a steak, then they obviously have them, so go ahead and order what you want.

Beyond that, check out this link.

http://www.archwired.com/soft_foods.htm

#5 Post by **iBorg** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:11 am

When I eat out I ALWAYS either plan on brushing as soon as I'm done or get a glass of water without ice. Its amazing the technique you quickly develop to swirl and use your tongue to remove bits here and there. Of course flossing every night is always like a mini food treasure hunt! Sometimes I find something I'm pretty sure cam from brakfast even though I 've brushed four times since then.

Mike

#6 Post by **BracedBelle** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:00 pm

Omg is there a " trick" so all the food doesn't get trapped everywhere???

I find that eating much smaller bites than normal allows me to keep the food away from my cheeks (i.e. I keep it from going between my lips/cheeks and teeth). I rarely have food in my brackets after meals anymore. And like people said, swishing with water discreetly really helps and you get better at ensuring there are no pieces stuck.

I often eat with managers & colleagues at my company and I can't brush afterwards. I carry little interdental picks (GUM soft-picks) in my purse and use them to double-check in the ladies room after meals... they fit between brackets and even between many of my teeth.

#7 Post by **~CanadianChick~** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:29 pm

BracedBelle wrote:
Omg is there a " trick" so all the food doesn't get trapped everywhere???
I find that eating much smaller bites than normal allows me to keep the food away from my cheeks (i.e. I keep it from going between my lips/cheeks and teeth). I rarely have food in my brackets after meals anymore. And like people said, swishing with water discreetly really helps and you get better at ensuring there are no pieces stuck.

I often eat with managers & colleagues at my company and I can't brush afterwards. I carry little interdental picks (GUM soft-picks) in my purse and use them to double-check in the ladies room after meals... they fit between brackets and even between many of my teeth.

Agreed!

Takes a while to get used to but after a week or two things will become easier and you wont even notice these small annoyances!

#8 Post by **ghostmyimag3** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:32 pm

I couldn't chew meat, but i was sick of soup after two days. i couldn't handle it anymore. I moved on to rice krispies (let them sit in the milk about 5 min) pot pies, anything i knew i could chew without applying alot of pressure. But that lasted about 2 weeks then i was fine again. Even after my first adjustment i was still eating like i did. Soreness i guess dont get to me?