Help the Braced-to-Be Plan for Pain-Free Eating!

[jrbecca]

Hello, all! I'm getting braced Jan. 18. My orthodontist has sent me a "diet control" list, which includes the foods I should stay away from: 1) Chewy foods; 2) Crunchy foods; 3) Hard foods; and 4) Sugars.

With these dietary restrictions in mind, and knowing that I'll probably have a few days of discomfort after getting my braces, I'm wondering what exactly I can eat in the coming weeks, months and during the next two years?

Do you have any helpful meal planning ideas? Favorite pain-free snack suggestions? Any food I should definately avoid that you learned about the hard way (e.g. cheese)?

I know that gum chewing is definately off limits. I'm a fairly frequent gum chewer (it keeps my mouth busy and helps me avoid snacking when I'm not truly hungry). Now that I know that hard candy is off limits, too, I'm wondering what I can substitute for gum?

Please help me stock my pantry and fridge for the braced life! Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

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[Megera_S]

A lot of orthos give their patients sugar-free gum... And as long as you're not chewing really sticky or sugar-y gum it should be alright.

Soups are good, mashed potatoes, smoothies, apple sauce... Anything sort of mushy for the first few days will be good. After that ease yourself into harder foods - oranges, noodles, stuff like that and before long you'll be eating crunchier food. Also, cheese isn't so bad if you're not biting into huge pieces or have wires going over gaps Just listen to what your teeth say - if they hurt when you bite into a certain food, give it some time before trying it again. Everything is going to feel weird the first couple of days so dont worry

[Destor]

I personally ate alot of soup after the braces were put on, and after the wisdom tooth removal. If you're eating the type of soup where you buy the long dry noodles and packets of spice, it helps alot to smash the noodles up before cooking, that way they won't get stuck on the wires/brackets, and you won't have to chew them much.

Mashed potatoes, really soft pasta, cook it past the point of being al dente. I found Cous Cous to be really good in the first few days, high in protein, filling and very easy to eat. Eggs in most forms, scrambled espescially, really nutritious and as easy to eat as it gets.

As for in the long term, got a couple of suggestions: If eating spaghetti, or anything with long noodles, cut them up before you eat em. Otherwise they can get wrapped around your brackets and become a choking hazard. Try to chew with only your back teeth, and about gum. As long as it isn't really tacky bubble gum, as Megera_S said, it's fine, but you still want to avoid getting any on the brackets, because it's a major pain to get out.

[butterfly]

In the first week I didn't eat anything solid, just mushed stuff. The next 3 weeks I had al lot of pasta, rice and so on, but no meat at all. When eating out I insisted on Italian places because they would have a variety of suitable foods. Now after 2 months I eat anything besides steaks and nuts and the like. Besides I cannot bite INTO anything so I keep a Swiss army knife styled outdoor set with a fork and a knife with me.

I guess after I get the lowers all the process will start from zero

Did everyone here get a sweet ban? I didn't. Doc said sweet stuff is fine if I brush within minutes after eating it. That's how I do it - whenever I eat sweet, even if it's the smallest amout, I brush immediatly.

I stopped all the drinks that contain sugar and/or gas. I lost 2 kilos because of that already.

[Attagirl2]

As for the gum chewing, your orthodontist may have taken that off your list of "can haves" because you have TMJ problems, not because you can't chew it. If you have TMJ and chew gum, it could aggrevate your TMJ.

I like to blend frozen blueberries with dry old fashioned oat meal, powdered slim fast, powdered soy protien, cinnamon and milk for a nice filling breakfast. It can last me for hours.

As for hard candy, I found I can (and need) to keep something in my mouth because my job does not allow me to run to the drinking fountain and my mouth gets way dry. I place a sugar free cherry cough drop in and just make sure I don't bite into it.

My best to you on your journey.

[mackenzie]

It might not be that bad, I have had no pain at all from my braces, same as some other people here.

And I'm a bad example to follow but I eat almost whatever I want, I'm just careful and if it is sugary I brush my teeth ASAP. Chewy candy I suck on, hard candy I suck on, lots of foods I cut up in little bits. The one thing I can remember not eating was a frozen peanut chocolate cluster and a huge carrot.

[Betty Bat]

As many others have pointed out, you will probably be able to chew just about anything (within reason, of course) after you get your braces, but it's much harder to bite with braces than without. I'm not sure if it's psychological or what, but there are a bunch of us out there cutting things into bite-size pieces. I was really disappointed when I went into McDonald's and realized that I was probably going to have a lot of problems with a Big Mac for the next year or so!

I've found that I can actually eat most of the things that I like (including sushi) but it takes a little longer because of the biting/chewing stuff. But, I've always liked soups, stews, chili, and those kinds of things.

And, of course, ice cream is always a favorite!

[mackenzie]

I don't like to bite into things because I don't want food stuck in the front. I cut it into a piece I can pop in my mouth and chew on my molars, so if (when) food gets stuck its not visible.

[butterfly]

but I have to be honest and say I love food as much now as before! It's the cleaning up that can be a pain ... but that's something we've just got to deal with for a while!

I agree with you! In the beginning I couldn't imagine I would be able to eat normally again. Now I almost forget about them while eating. The cleaning is a bit annoying yes. But honestly: The post surgery holes from my wisdoms were much more annoying to clean after meals than the braces are. I clean the braces because I feel dirty and smelly after eating and not because the stuck food hurts me. Big difference.

Good luck to all of you.

[bajanrose]

I found this topic really helpful as I think I'll be getting my braces either next Wednesday or Thursday...I have appointments on both those days so I don't know what will actually be happening.

[jrbecca]

Thank you, all, for your suggestions and helpful hints!

I'm writing everything down and will make a run to the grocery store this weekend to stock up on some softer foods. With this information at my aid, I think that now my biggest challenge will be facing my coworkers for the first time.

I may begin telling a few people about my decision this week to minimize the number of almost-polite glances at my mouth. And to think my supervisor still wants to train me for on-camera interviews knowing that I'm getting braces Jan. 18.

I think not.

[Betty Bat]

I saw a bunch of folks over the holidays who I hadn't seen since I got my braces. I brought up the topic of my braces with most of them since they do seem pretty obvious to me and I'm kind of proud of making the move to get braces. But, many of the folks said that they weren't sure if they should say something or not, since they weren't sure how I felt about the braces. So, if you don't feel too bad about getting the braces, you might want to bring up the subject, especially with people you feel comfortable with, just so they know you're OK with having them. Of course, this assumes that you're OK with having them!

[Jesslzz 01]

Great post jrbecca!
I'll probably get my braces around january the 20th, so we are having the same doubts now.
I think that with all this advice and support we'll be ok!
Really useful ideas...I will try them out.

[jrbecca]

Great post jrbecca!
I'll probably get my braces around january the 20th, so we are having the same doubts now.
I think that with all this advice and support we'll be ok!
Really useful ideas...I will try them out.

I'm glad this thread helped you, too! I went to the grocery store yesterday and stocked up on some softer foods. I'm also trying to eat as much of the soon-to-be forbidden foods as I can, before receiving my spacers this week (e.g. steak, corn on the cob, etc.). Preparing to eat softer foods has actually given me a wonderful opportunity to try new foods that I might otherwise have passed on, such as couscous, fish and different soups.

I'll be interested to learn about how your treatment is going since you'll be receiving your braces just a day after I receive mine. Best of luck! I hope to see you on the boards!

[jrbecca]

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