Difficulty chewing?

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#1 Post by **Meemoo** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 10:38 pm

Hey,

I've had my braces on since Wednesday - so not very long at all! - and I'm tentatively trying to start chewing again after 3 loooooooong days of a liquid diet. I can sort of chew but it feels like I'm chewing on metal, not my actual teeth if that makes sense. Like the hooks and stuff on the molar bands are too high, even though I can tell that they're not when I look into the mirror.

Is this just part of the process of getting used to braces? I've already noticed my bite shifting a tiny bit too.

Just wondering if this was normal and something else I need to get used to?

#2 Post by **catgyrl** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:04 pm

The bite shifting is definitely normal. Shoot - I felt mine shift the minute they snapped the wires into place! That will even out soon enough, so don't worry about it.

If you are actually biting down on your brackets and/or wires, that is a problem. Did you get molar buildups put on your back molars so that you don't bite down on your lower brackets? If you did, it sounds like maybe they're not working. You should definitely check with your ortho about that.

Good for you for attempting to chew!! It really does help your circulation and pain to get those teeth chewing. I just had my 2nd adjustment, and the pain came right back. I forced myself to eat a piece of toast, and that was hell! I basically held it between my teeth and pulled it away with my hand. Hilarious!

#3 Post by **Meemoo** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:39 pm

catgyrl wrote:If you are actually biting down on your brackets and/or wires, that is a problem. Did you get molar buildups put on your back molars so that you don't bite down on your lower brackets? If you did, it sounds like maybe they're not working. You should definitely check with your ortho about that.

Oh no, I'm not hitting my actual brackets or wires at all (but food gets hopelessly caught on the wire where my extraction gaps are

). It's more like my molars themselves feel all metally, but maybe it's just because the teeth are moving...

#4 Post by **jackjack** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:58 pm

Hi meemoo. i know exactly what you mean! when i first got by braces i was like "what the heck did i get myself into??" and thought i was never going to eat normal again! but this is normal and hopefully soon your bite will adjust. i had extractions as well. those will suck for awhile until they close up a bit. noodles and rice are the worst lol. goodluck with ur new braces:)

#5 Post by **onefastchick** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:02 am

I got my braces on Tuesday and I have the same feeling, I know exactly what you are talking about. The molar bands feel like they are touching each other when I bite down. Honestly I think its just a matter of adapting to all the hardware in my mouth. If you are worried about it I would call your ortho and ask them to take a look but for me anyway I think I just have to relearn how to chew/eat again.

#6 Post by **onefastchick** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:03 am

I got my braces on Tuesday and I have the same feeling, I know exactly what you are talking about. The molar bands feel like they are touching each other when I bite down. Honestly I think its just a matter of adapting to all the hardware in my mouth. If you are worried about it I would call your ortho and ask them to take a look but for me anyway I think I just have to relearn how to chew/eat again.

#7 Post by **Meemoo** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:09 am

At least I'm not the only one!

I graduated to noodles for dinner and man - it took me like an hour to eat what with all the mushing it up and it getting caught around the wires over my extraction gaps. Gosh.

I thought squishy foods would be easier but it was actually the harder foods that gave me less trouble - like celery, onion, and beef! (All cooked past raw stage of course)

#8 Post by **Audra** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:11 am

Meemoo wrote: I'm tentatively trying to start chewing again after 3 loooooooong days of a liquid diet.

Sorry, I have to snicker at 3 days of a liquid diet being a long time. That's just a flash in the pan for the surgery people here who have spent 4-6 weeks on a liquid diet eating through a syringe.

In the beginning of the braces journey, eating will probably feel weird most of the time as your bite changes frequently. In the beginning I had molar buildups on two of my molars and those teeth were the only ones I could chew on. You get used to it over time.

If you are biting on your brackets, you should have molar buildups put on.

#9 Post by **wired nana** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:04 am

Almost every day to me is a new experience with eating. I've had my braces for 5 weeks now, and each day my teeth seem to be hitting in a different place. I agree with noodles and rice (two of my favorites) being some of the hardest to eat foods. I ate a pasta Lean Cuisine for lunch at work the other day, and the low-fat "fake" cheese just absolutely glued itself to my brackets. Horrible!

#10 Post by **gokix** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 1:10 pm

Yep, comes with the territory. Get ready to feel tightness after adjustments also. Takes a few days, but you'll be ready to chew again.

#11 Post by **yoginbraces** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 3:23 pm

I've had braces for almost 4 weeks and every few days it seems my bite is changing. Some days I find it easier to chew on my left side, other days I eat on my right side. And the strangest is when I am right in the middle of chewing and my two top teeth shift and hit the bottom teeth in an unfamiliar spot. It isn't painful per se but it is unexpected so I've learned it is best to eat slowly, which I should be doing anyway.

Also, in a strange way I kinda miss the aches and pains I had the first week or so. As uncomfortable as it was to chew, the discomfort in general made me feel as though my teeth were actually moving.

The best to you as you adjust to life in braces.

#12 Post by **Audra** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 3:25 pm

Don't worry, you'll get the aches and pains back after your first adjustment

#13 Post by **llehsal** » Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:21 pm

OMG......you are going through the same thing as meee!!!! I kept looking in the mirror to see if the bands weren't put on properly, but they were. I'm so happy that you can chew. I still can't and I'm like 13 or so days into braces. I am absolutely fed up of the liquid diet so I swallow my food...rice, pasta, you name it....I soak it in sauce or something and simply swallow it. I am still trying to chew but my bite is off and I am in some pain as I still have discomfort as I have spacers where the other two bands are to be placed in two weeks. Yikes!!!!! My teeth now feel like they are hitting teeth and not metal, I guess its just that they are hitting different teeth or are in different grooves now so it took some getting use to.

#14 Post by **Meemoo** » Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:41 pm

I am so glad that this isn't just me imagining it! My bite has shifted so it feels like I'm only getting real "biting pressure" on my left side - wonder how long it'll be before it feels even again!

#15 Post by **hal2me** » Mon Jun 21, 2010 9:39 am

Hi Meemoo!

You will learn that your bite will change with each adjustment for the first few months. It is kind of weird at first, but you will get used to it in time. I could not close my bite for the first 3 months I had braces. It was horrible, but worth it. Now, I can actually chew my food good so I don't choke.

Best of luck to you!

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