Metal Mouth Message Board

I hear you - it's no fun the first week and as a fellow "argh! I can't chew!" sufferer, you'll soon find semi-solid foods that go down pretty good without needing too much in the way of chewing.. IE, frozen curries have been a godsend, the rice is nice and soft and the chicken cuts up very small very easily, perogies are good too, and stuffed pastas like cannelloni & manacotti And the standards like yogurt, soup, oatmeal, etc. And Bellalalala is so right - beer! Lots of beer.

I'm sorry you're hurting so much, the tips above are fantastic and hopefully offer you some relief. Hang in there! It will get better! Oh and wax - I would wax at night, and not take the wax off & replace until the next night.

I promise that it will get better!!! Hang in there! It's normal to be very frustrated right now. Soon enough you will start having moments that make you glad you began this process!!! Promise!

Thank you all SOOO much for your words of comfort!!!
Today is day 12 and I still have some discomfort, and my upper gum line seems to get really dry a lot. Whenever I eat harder solids (not like candy, but like sushi with a little tempura), my mouth aches like crazy.
is day 12 too long to still feel like I hate these braces???
I went in to have a bracket re-attached yesterday and he clipped a wire that he said was sticking out, and he also decided not to replace the bracket until I had healed a little bit more. I swear, I never thought of myself as a wimp, but boy I sure am feeling like one!!

peerue, your post inspired me to actually join Archwired. I've been lurking since January! And I had to reply to "is day 12 too long to still feel like I hate these braces???" Well, let's see, I got braced on 23 January this year and yep, I still hate my braces, lol! OK, I don't hate them, but let's say, I'm not really enjoying the experience, but it's a necessary evil so you've just got to keep thinking of what lovely teeth you'll have.

Your teeth are moving all the time so they'll often be days when certain foods suddenly become Problem Foods. Just a month ago, I couldn't eat certain vegetables because my teeth were too sore, even after many months in braces. Stuff like mashed potato, soggy cereal, porridge, and soup are all good, as are milkshakes and ice-cream. If my teeth are too sore, I'll load up on protein shakes and mashed potato for a few days until it subsides.

I found that biting into stuff was a real problem for the first few months, even soft stuff like sandwiches. My tip is to keep a glass of water handy so you can have a swig when you're eating to soften up the food in your mouth (which I know sounds really gross, but it works).

As the other posters have said, it really gets better. I'd say after 2-3 weeks, your mouth calms down .. you may have additional discomfort after adjustments, but nothing comparable to the initial irritation (at least, not in my personal experience).

Hope you feel better soon!!

it will get better.. I'm sure it will.. that was the same exact thing i felt when i had mine on.. first week is i should say not so good but it will get better eventually...be patient!

this message board is awesome!

Thank you so much to all that posted!!! It's a huge comfort knowing that there are people out there that have gone through this and are here for support! It means a lot!