Metal Mouth Message Board

Today is my 3rd day in only 1/4 of my braces having the remainder put on in the following weeks.

None of my teeth are touching except for one in the veeeery back, that the ortho had to dob some blue gook on to make it touch (my bite is horrendous). That being said, it is very difficult the chew up anything. I am feeling ravenous. I am really beginning to miss food and dream about it fondly.

However, I will say, the foods I am able to eat are strange; McDonalds french fries and chicken strips, Eggo waffles and veggie sausages and PBJ sandwiches (all of these cut into very very tiny pieces). I am usually a very, very healthy eater (no dairy, no red-meat). I hope I am not going to have to live off McDonalds chicken fingers.

When will I be able to eat again? I know this is only the beginning... I will probably be eating from a straw come Thursday.

Any one have any foods they favor during these desperate times of need?

Hi there, am in week 4 and can relate to your predicament as mine came with the blue goop too. I sort of stuck to pasta, omelettes, veggies steamed a little longer than normal, oatmeal, yoghurt etc. Was never a dairy person before but had to give on that one as its important to get all the right goodies in if you can't chew you have to try that bit harder to make sure you are eating properly. I promise it will get better - you will be so excited when they work again. I've found a way of chewing in a sort of side to side motion (think cow chewing cud ) which works well in private. That aside they performed admirably at a dinner party on the weekend in spite of blue goop. Hang in there. The first while is the hardest. There is a spot on this site that gives lists of good foods for those of us who can't chew. Now if only I can figure out how to eat junk food

You will eat again! My mainstays were mac n cheese and ice cream. Not the healthiest, but I also threw in oatmeal, apple sauce, yogurt, smoothies (frozen fruit, yogurt, banana, soymilk and protein powder in a blender), refried beans -- in fact if they have them in your area, Amy's frozen mexican dinners are actually really good and easy to eat -- and meat-free. Steamed veggies till they're really soft also work. Mashed potatos. Tofu works really well too -- just cut it up into small pieces, marinate it and saute it up.

I'm getting my bottom brackets and wire put in in a few weeks, so I'll be stocking up again on all that!

Kimber wrote:You will eat again! My mainstays were mac n cheese and ice cream.

Yes, a milkshake is sounding better and better every minute (I live across the way from McDonalds). I wish I could eat dairy, I am not vegan or anything, I am on a permanent restricted diet that also excludes red meat. So its totally not an option, its all very sad really.

I also eat lots of Amy's normally, great stuff! I am hoping that Jamba Juice can make soy shakes or the like, I have never ever been there, but there is no better time than today to try something new.

Hi tardissauce, I've been where you're at, with only two teeth touching. It's not something I'd like to go back to.

I hope things improve for you and that you're able to eat something a little more nutritious than maccas.

I'm on Day 5 (full braces) and on day 3 I went to a restaurant with my friends and it was SO depressing looking at the menu. I was SO hungry and really wanted a steak and the garlic bread looked so divine...

My choices were between a side of mashed potato (how depressing) or risotto with pumpkin, cheese and spinach. I was paranoid about the spinach getting stuck in the braces (not a good look on a Saturday night out) but luckily the chef said could do it without the spinach so I got the risotto. I was able to spoon it in behind my teeth and then just suck it down! no chewing involved - bliss!

I have also been having protein shakes, soup and hash browns (they just go in the toaster and are really soft). Being in New Zealand in the middle of winter, I want hot foods but the ortho actually said the archwire softens when its cold so ice cream and cold drinks (I recommend GIN !) are good to have to ease the pain from the tension.

All the best for the rest of your treatment!

this mornings menu:

Odwalla Superfood (I love this stuff - I highly recommend it)
apples and cinnamon oatmeal

Honestly, I wish I could live off oatmeal its soooo easy to eat. Thanks for the advice on the powders KK I am going to pop into my local health food store today. Also, wiredkitty, now I know why that cold water always feels soo good.

Funny thing (I would have known better after reading this message board about the curry staining your braces) the first thing I ate was some curry peas and cauliflower and mushed up. Now I already have stained braces. well, I like to start things off right.

this mornings menu:

Odwalla Superfood (I love this stuff - I highly recommend it)
apples and cinnamon oatmeal

Honestly, I wish I could live off oatmeal its soooo easy to eat. Thanks for the advice on the powders KK I am going to pop into my local health food store today. Also, wiredkitty, now I know why that cold water always feels soo good.

Funny thing (I would have known better after reading this message board about the curry staining your braces) the first thing I ate was some curry peas and cauliflower and mushed up. Now I already have stained braces. well, I like to start things off right.

Opps sorry about the double post, guess you can't delete them?
I kept getting an error message.

Hi Tardissauce,

Congratulations on the braces! But poor you having to eat McDonalds, Yuck!

I struggled with finding the right foods at the beginning for the same reasons. In the end I settled for steamed veg with rice and pasta. It gets stuck everywhere, so make sure you eat at home for a while.

It does get better honest!

Julie

Did you find soy shakes at Jamba Juice? I'm pretty sure I've seen them on the menu -- yum!

I feel your pain !! I went through that in this second adjustment I just had. At first Ifelt nothing and then within 5 hrs or so my teeth all felt sooooo wobbly and it hurt to try to bite down. Well the second day I was craving a WHOPPER from Burger King lol. I have not had one of those in about a year. Well that was a mistake! I brought it home and opened the wrapper and there in front of me sat a perfectly prepared whopper. I tried to take a bite and the whole thing slid back out when I pulled the whopper away from my mouth. I was not able to chew ,not even chew it lightly. I had to cut it in pieces the size of a lima bean. Soooo about 30 minutes later I finished it but could not remember what it tasted like because I was swallowing and not chewing

The discomfort lasted for 2 days and I'm back to eating anything well almost anything again. Things WILL GET BETTER .

Gennel

Gennel wrote: Soooo about 30 minutes later I finished it but could not remember what it tasted like because I was swallowing and not chewing

The discomfort lasted for 2 days and I'm back to eating anything well almost anything again. Things WILL GET BETTER .

Gennel

I know EXACTLY what you mean, I feel that I am no longer tasting food rather but just swallowing it. Very sad not to be able to savor flavors especially fruit.... I have also thrown out alot of food, trying to find what works best. I cook it, try to chew it, its hit or miss....Today I am getting my first serious inner cheek scratches mainly from talking (thats what did me in, I actually spent most of the weekend in silence, that was nice)...Yeah for dental wax. They should really treat that stuff like a controlled substance. That said, I am trying to build tolerance in my mouth and only using the wax at night for relief.

wiredkitty wrote:I'm on Day 5 (full braces) and on day 3 I went to a restaurant with my friends and it was SO depressing looking at the menu. I was SO hungry and really wanted a steak and the garlic bread looked so divine...

Crazy as it may sound now, you will eat steak while in braces. And you will bite into garlic bread.

Can't wait for that day to come!!!

And will I be able to chew gum? I miss it. A friend said she used Freedent gum which I think is for people with false teeth. Anyone tried it?