Metal Mouth Message Board

I never really had a sweet tooth, but during the past year I have been avoiding all sugary stuff including ice cream. My orthodontist totally prohibited soft drinks and other sugary drinks such as fruit juices as the sugar might seep beneath the brackets and cause decay leaving a brown mark when the brackets are removed. I found some pictures on internet which were really disgusting. But I think I have taken the ban on sugary stuff too far...............The only sweet stuff I eat are cakes, muffins and the like. And not often either.

ambraced wrote:I never really had a sweet tooth, but during the past year I have been avoiding all sugary stuff including ice cream. My orthodontist totally prohibited soft drinks and other sugary drinks such as fruit juices as the sugar might seep beneath the brackets and cause decay leaving a brown mark when the brackets are removed. I found some pictures on internet which were really disgusting. But I think I have taken the ban on sugary stuff too far...............The only sweet stuff I eat are cakes, muffins and the like. And not often either.

I think you'd be fine as long as you brush your teeth afterwards.

[quote="bracketeer"]GUM! :-(([/quote]

I used to love gum, but didn't dare try it with braces as I was scared it'd get stuck....

I got some sugar-free the other night which another girl told me is fine except then my damn left TMJ was hurting when I was trying to chew it!!! So I guess I'm done with gum for a while yet.........

ambraced wrote:I never really had a sweet tooth, but during the past year I have been avoiding all sugary stuff including ice cream. My orthodontist totally prohibited soft drinks and other sugary drinks such as fruit juices as the sugar might seep beneath the brackets and cause decay leaving a brown mark when the brackets are removed. I found some pictures on internet which were really disgusting. But I think I have taken the ban on sugary stuff too far...............The only sweet stuff I eat are cakes, muffins and the like. And not often either.

Those pictures are usually used as scare tactics to make sure kids and adults alike take good care of their teeth while they're in braces. Most of those pictures you see are of people who severely neglected their oral hygiene. You should be perfectly fine as long as you brush after every meal and floss consistently at least once a day. If you properly brush, in between the brackets and arch wire to get every surface of the tooth, you should have nothing to worry about. Sometimes it's easier for Orthodontists to "prohibit" certain problem foods for those people who for some reason can't take good care of their teeth, than to have to constantly lecture them about it

[quote="ambraced"]
Those pictures are usually used as scare tactics to make sure kids and adults alike take good care of their teeth while they're in braces. Most of those pictures you see are of people who severely neglected their oral hygiene. You should be perfectly fine as long as you brush after every meal and floss consistently at least once a day. If you properly brush, in between the brackets and arch wire to get every surface of the tooth, you should have nothing to worry about. Sometimes it's easier for Orthodontists to "prohibit" certain problem foods for those people who for some reason can't take good care of their teeth, than to have to constantly lecture them about it :P[/quote]

HA!! My older brother is one of those people... He had his braces around a time when he decided to move out and that he was supposedly ok to take care of himself, when instead, he hardly ever brushed his teeth, most likely NEVER flossed and didn't actually get his braces off when he was supposed to.. since he wasn't under the watchful eye of mom, he decided not to go to his appts for fear HE'D have to pay for something, and kept them on a year or two after they should have come off?? So the top halves of his teeth looked horrid!! BUT! In the meantime, as long as you brush your teeth regularly, and floss when you can (it takes almost 30 minutes sometimes for me to do EVERYTHING)... you should be fine!!

[quote="AM21"]Since getting braces, what one favorite sugary drink or food are you trying to give up?

I've been trying to give up chocolate. I'm having the hardest time with that. I'll deny myself chocolate for a few days and then I have a major sweet tooth and just have to have it. I brush my teeh immediately afterwards of course but wow is that tough![/quote]

OMG! I can't eat all my favorite chocolates, too!!!!!

So far I have only given up popcorn and sticky, chewy sweets. My favorite non-choco candy is Twizzlers... I was really bummed when I realized I couldn't eat those anymore. Those will probably be the first thing I eat when I become brace free!

I tired to give up soda! but I am weak haha

Coca cola ... but sometimes I slip up.

How bad is sweetened iced tea? As bad as soda pop? I'm doomed.

Wait. I'm confused. My orthodontists didn't say anything about not eating sweets or drinking sodas or sweet tea. He just said nothing sticky. Why is everyone giving up chocolate and soda? There is no way I'd do that!

kaddessi wrote:Wait. I'm confused. My orthodontists didn't say anything about not eating sweets or drinking sodas or sweet tea. He just said nothing sticky. Why is everyone giving up chocolate and soda? There is no way I'd do that!

I think the sweets are just mentioned because hygiene is already a challenge with braces. I eat anything that I want that won't break or pull a bracket off, like very crunchy or sticky things. Some things obviously get stuck in there worse than others, but if you've got a waterpick or just don't mind brushing afterwards, it's not really a big deal. Not eating crunchy stuff is the hardest, because most widely-available snack foods are hard, dry, and crunchy. The thing that was the hardest to deal with without immediately brushing afterwards was the licorice, but it was still worth eating. I was at my friend's house, and after trying to suck it out from under the wire and do my best with my tongue, I just went out to my car and got a toothpick and pushed out out of the crevices. I am too strong-willed to resign myself to an all soft food diet that isn't sticky or sweet. I'll know my limits when I break a bracket off eating. My first adjustment is a week away, so this week I'm going to switch over to my electric toothbrush and start eating steak and other tougher foods, to test my limits.