Metal Mouth Message Board

I just got my braces on Thursday and I know I can't expect to eat a juicy steak, but I have been living off of soup and soft pasta. Do you guys know how long it's going to take for your mouth to adjust to braces so I don't look like a crazy boxer. Does the big lip and mouth thing go away as your mouth adjusts? Also how long do I have to wait to eat some real food??

HELP HELP

Howdy and welcome.

You can find a lot of info on food on the message board. We have a lot of gourmets and gourmands around here, including me! There was a thread on "Favorite foods for challenging days":
viewtopic.php?t=8339

In addition, Lynn (bbsadmin) has posted a list at: http://www.archwired.com/soft_foods.htm

Happy eating!

Hi Lena, and welcome. There is no set period for getting back to a normal diet, it's pretty much what people feel comfortable with. However, I would suggest you try tackling "real food" as soon as you can. And you will be able to eat a juicy steak further down the track.

As for the crazy boxer look, this is probably more noticeable to you than to anyone else.

hi Lena
I eat pretty much what I did before with the exception of large juicy steaks and popcorn lol

If I have meat I just cut it into small pieces rather than try and chew up large lumps, and I don't eat things like apples whole, I cut them up instead. To begin with eating feels like a real chore and you worry about breaking a bracket etc but you don't really have to make all that many adjustments. It's not as "dangerous" as it feels to eat "real" food.

Cut in small pieces and toss things onto your back teeth to eat.

Hi Lena,

Congratulations on getting braced! Everyone is different-- it was a whole month before I could chew anything because my bite was so off. But that was me-- it doesn't mean you will have to wait that long. I know it's frustrating and boring eating the same stuff and you're probably starved, but soon enough you'll feel better and be eating your faves again. Hope you're feeling better.

Braced: July 19, 2006
Estimated tx time: 18 - 24 months

I'm wondering the exact same thing as Lena. Two days after I got braces (they went on this past Tuesday), I bought a bag of Ruffles because I just craaaved junk food bad, and ended up chewing with the molars on my right side.. now the gum next to the molars feel all rough and weird.. Maybe that wasn't such a smart move?

I want to be able to eat normal food at the dinner table ASAP!

P.S. I'm not sure if this is an Asian/Chinese thing, but apparently when you eat fried or hot/spicy things, your gums swell, making it more likely to have cankersores - at least that's what my parents told me. (For those of you that happen to be Chinese, it's called "yeet hei", or hot air) I'm not sure if this is true because a lot of the explanations used in Chinese medicine haven't been scientifically proven, but I wanted to ask the people here if that's true. :\

"Crazy boxer." I had to laugh. That so perfectly describes how I feel like I look!

I can eat pretty much everything again, as long as I have access to my water pik when I'm finished.

Out in public I have to choose my foods with great care.

Elle

jess214 wrote:P.S. I'm not sure if this is an Asian/Chinese thing, but apparently when you eat fried or hot/spicy things, your gums swell, making it more likely to have cankersores - at least that's what my parents told me. (For those of you that happen to be Chinese, it's called "yeet hei", or hot air) I'm not sure if this is true because a lot of the explanations used in Chinese medicine haven't been scientifically proven, but I wanted to ask the people here if that's true. :\

I worship regularly at the hot food/chili altar, jess, and in 10 months can count on one finger the number of canker sores I've had. And that one I can attribute to bracket rub.

I'm not sure that I've ever had gum swelling from spicy foods. Don't eat them too often though.

Interestingly enough, looking at my current diet, I don't think I'm going to have to change much at all when I get braces. The biggest problem is that one of my favorite mid-day snacks is an apple. I'll still eat my apples, but it's going to have to be at some other time, as I usually use them as a quick snack on a break from work, where it would be totally inconvenient to cut one up. The only other problematic food is protein bars. I'll probably be able to eat them most of the time, provided I'm not sore.

Right now in my freezer, I have lasagne casserole, scalloped potatoes and "ham", rice and beans, chili.... All pretty soft.

Well, good luck with your sore mouth. As for me, when I was sore, I ate the usual ice cream, soup, and lots of mashed potatoes. It wasn't easy, but eventualy I got back to eating hard foods! Smoothies are good, too.

Hi!

I have braces since 2 weeks, and I have been eating normal almost since I started (I had a few days with feeling discomfort on my molars, or that weird sensation of going to pop a bracket, or eating SLOW)... I ate meat the next day of having my braces (chewing with my back molars)... I guess that I never ate food to hard anyway, because I have the tendency of having canker sores, if my gum gets hurt, I get a canker sore (but I havent' got any since B-day )....so I'm not used to eating things that are hard like for hurting my gums, maybe that's why my transition to 'normal' food was SO easy... The only thing I keep doing is cuting my food into pieces with fingers or knife...

Lena: you'll see that really soon you're going to be eating regular food... and really happy too 'cause you're on your way to get a great smile-bite!
Take Meryaten's advice on the article of soft - yummy food!!

Here's to have a great journey

Thanks guys for all the support and great suggestions!! I love this place! I was wondering if the swollen lips thing and difficulty to talk at time will go away? I only got my Braces on Thursday, so I know I can't expect to feel my normal self, but the swelling of the mouth makes me a bit self conscious.

I've newly discovered that when my teeth are still sore but comfortable enough to bite slightly chewy things, KFC Famous Bowls are WONDERFUL. Mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, some chicken thingies and a bit of cheese sprinkled on top.

I'll eat them in mass quantities even after I get my braces off