When will I be able to eat normally?

[Alliecat8123]

Hi, I'm new here! Anyway. I've had braces now for nearly a month. I got Damon braces on on may 12th. I was told I'd have a hard time eating the first week or so, so I gave it some time and tried not to get too irritated. However, it's been a month now and I still can't eat comfortably, so I'm now to the point of where I don't want to eat at all! Eating doesn't necessarily hurt, just feels horribly awkward and food gets stuck everywhere. On the left side of my mouth, I have something stuck (looks like resin?) to one of my bottom molars to keep me from biting down, so eating on that side is not an option. On the right side, I am missing a molar, so I have a long wire put in place to move my other tooth to where the missing one is. I eat on that side but it is SO difficult because everything gets stuck under the wire. My mouth/jaw gets SO tired easily now from chewing. Does anyone have any tips? I am so miserable. I just want to eat!

[Chicken]

It will get better. In the beginning and after adjustments I would cut everything up very small and swallow it whole or mash it using the roof of my mouth and tongue. I would often give up on meals after eating a few bites or completely skip meals as it was just too much hassle due to the discomfort and having to chew solo slowly. If I remembered I would take pain meds prior to eating to try and get a meal down. I promise though it will get better. The first six weeks are probably the worst with alot of movement and bite changes over a short period of time. Good luck.

[Alliecat8123]

Thank you for your reply. I've been living pretty much off of soft foods for a month now. I have yet to eat steak. I can eat chicken fine but I want something GOOD to eat you know? I just get so frustrated because it takes me FOREVER to eat a meal and eventually I just give up because I get annoyed or my jaw hurts.

[Chicken]

I know it sucks. I have been there. Maybe you could dose yourself up and have a good cut of steak you know the ones that melt in your mouth like a tender loin with mashed potatoes and sauteed onions and mushrooms. And sherbet or ice cream for desert.

[Nozzelnut]

It's ok to chew on the build ups; I know it's awkward. I have them on my upper bicuspids; both sides. IT was really awkward the first 10 days or so. If I position a bite of food just right, I can grind it a little. Other than that, I just flatten most stuff between my molars that don't touch. I usually over cook my veggies so any pressure breaks them up. I've also been cutting up everything smaller than normal when I prep food; so I have to chew less.

Like you, I haven't tried a steak yet. Not that I ate a lot of it before braces.

It will get better.

[kathydell]

With each month that goes by you will get braver and braver and it will be less sore - althought almost always sore for 24-48 hours following an adjustment. My best advice is to tough it out and start chewing as soon as you can after each adjustment. I've found the sooner I though it out the quicker it goes by. I had an adjustment yesterday morning and still ate a pork chop for dinner last night - although cut up very small. I've read that the more you use those teeth the faster the soreness gets better and the quicker your treament goes. Don't know if it's true but it really has worked for me.

[Featheryy1221]

I got my brace on over a month ago, and I can eat pretty much everything I ate before braces. There will be foods you won't be able to eat, steak might be one of them. I personally haven't ate a steak since braces and never really ate it before (not a huge fan of it). But you might be able to eat other cuts of meat. Especially if you put them in a crockpot. Some meats might be tough to eat, and might cause you pain, but you won't really know until you try them. I know it's awkward when food gets stuck in there but you're just going to have to push through it. Keep in mind you'll be getting all the food out when you brush your teeth after you eat anyway. Like others have mentioned, I cut up all my food into bite sized pieces. Mainly because then things don't get stuck and I was told not to bite into anything.
You should really only need the soft foods diet when you've had adjustments and usually it's not for very long.
Good luck!

[SunshineRay]

It took me awhile. I chewed on my back molars the whole time which really messed with my TAD's. I did lose weight in the beginning but it does get better!

[djspeece]

I was in a similar situation, but my main hangup was the disgusting feeling of food particles stuck everywhich place. Over time I became one with the disgusting mess, tolerating it until I could get to the restroom to brush. I'm become quite adept at dislodging stuff with tongue and applying focused suction on gaps to vacuum away pieces of food. It's one of my superpowers, in fact. Hmm that might be a good topic for a new thread.

[kathydell]

Great idea, Dan! My superhero name is now the "Swishmaster" .... able to remove anything from my braces with enough water and swishing force!

[SunshineRay]

Great idea, Dan! My superhero name is now the "Swishmaster" .... able to remove anything from my braces with enough water and swishing force!

True! I almost always have a water bottle with me since having braces so that I can swish.

[allyria]

My problem is that I now feel very self-conscious about eating in public... :( Hopefully it gets better after I'll get properly used to having braces on my lower teeth as well!

[kmadsen65]

I always felt weird eating in public anyway, I tend to how my hand up over my mouth when I eat in front of people. I don't know why. Maybe because I don't really like watching other people eat. Kinda grosses me out.

Anyway, I on day 5 of my top braces and I still have discomfort when I chew on things, but it is getting better. I was hoping to lose my last 5-10 lbs. when I got my braces, but no such luck lol! I eat very healthy anyway, no sugar or junk foods, so braces hasn't really changed my diet much. I just put my fruit into smoothies instead of eating it whole.

I get my bottom braces tomorrow, so I am prepared to be back to square one for the next several days though. I also found that taking Advil about 30 minutes before I eat helped.