eating with an expander

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#1 Post by **maia1orual** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:15 pm

so, i got my expander in last night. it wasn't so bad and i'm in no pain (yay!

) BUT how the heck do i eat? it seems like EVERYTHING gets stuck inside of it or between it and the roof of my mouth! gosh! and, my ortho wasn't so helpful when i asked her about foods to avoid. all she said was, "things with seeds." and she didn't say anything about cleaning and all. soooo. . .

advice and tips, please!!!!!! thanks!

#2 Post by **KatK** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:51 pm

awww.. i feel your pain. i got a pendulum device installed about 1.5 months ago and that covers the roof of my mouth and is attached to the back upper teeth... a very similiar setup to yours. I didn't feel much pain either, but the first time i put food in my mouth i spit it back out. i was so surprised at how much i wanted to use the roof of my mouth and really couldn't! Everything was also (and still does) getting stuck!! I read that touching the roof of your mouth is a signal for you to salvate in order to accept food to swallow. Don't worry - it somehow gets MUCH easier to eat. I can eat most foods now. I haven't figured out lettuce. In order to get used to it i ate a lot of maccaroni and cheese and ALWAYS had a glass of water to wash down the food. Water to wash down your food at first is the best defense! Practicing helps, so don't avoid food! Good luck!

#3 Post by **Amburly** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:51 am

I had/have an expander...long story, and I wish I could say that there is some kind of wonderful tip to make eating easier but there just isn't. It was really funny for me to eat or drink ANYTHING for the first two or three weeks and now after almost two months I don't really notice my expander that much. I still do get food stuck on top of it but I can usually push it out with my tongue.

I will give you this advice though....DO NOT under any circumstances put a lot of food in your mouth. I have made that mistake several times and it makes it very difficult, almost impossible, to get the food down.
Take small bites that way you don't have to depend on the roof of your mouth to seperate the food.

#4 Post by **cbushnaq** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:39 am

Bread is the hardest thing for me to eat. It somehow always goes under my expander and I have had it in for over 4 months. I try to keep everything I eat pushed to the far side of my mouth but unfortunately it still finds its way to the expander.

I will give you this advice though....DO NOT under any circumstances put a lot of food in your mouth. I have made that mistake several times and it makes it very difficult, almost impossible, to get the food down.
Take small bites that way you don't have to depend on the roof of your mouth to seperate the food.

ALWAYS had a glass of water to wash down the food.

Amburly and KatK have the best advice I've heard so far. Those seem to be the best things that worked for me. I also carry a proxy brush and plaque remover sticks. It helps to get into those hard to reach places.

Good luck eating. I get my expander removed this Friday and plan to have a big dinner that night!

C.

#5 Post by **danielle80** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:12 am

I got my expander last week. I asked myself the same question when I got it, I was even having a hard time eating pudding. But after a couple of days it's not bad at all. Your mouth gets used to it, but yes everything gets stuck up there. If you don't have a water pik yet, I suggest you go out and buy one, it's the greatest invention!!!

So now I have been eating pretty much everything, and I'm always scared I'm gonna some how break this thing, snap a wire or something, so I have to ask my ortho if that is possible. I'm sure they make them strong enough being that one has to eat. Good Luck with your fun new expander!!!!

~Danielle

#6 Post by **BillyNPhoenix** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:19 pm

I just had my expander installed this afternoon. I thought I was doing fine because it didnâ€™t hurt too much, but I just tried to eat my first meal and thought I was going to have a breakdown. I thought chicken and rice soup was going to be easy because it was soft, but I didnâ€™t think about how everything would get between the expander and the roof of my mouth. Swallowing is very difficult.

Iâ€™m glad to read that itâ€™s not just me and that it might get easier. I think you guys just talked me off the ledge â€“ thanks!

#7 Post by **overseasmel** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:42 pm

Hey guys, I had my torture device

for 8 months, so this is something I got used to. Try to chew right at the back of your mouth, and towards one side. When you flick your food with your tongue as you do, normally you do this against your palate. Try instead to move more diagonally, chew upwards but sidewards.... Sorry I know this sounds weird but I found it worked for me. And try to train yourself to swallow with your throat muscles more and with less help from your tongue. Try it by putting your tongue somewhere forward and fixed and then swallow. Then try that with food. So in summary to my rambling:

1. try and chew diagonally
2. try and swallow with your throat and leave your tongue up against something at the front

Also, food is always going to get caught from time to time, but believe me it gets less. In any case, always have a full bottle of water with you at all times. Take a mouthful, gurgle or swish, and then swallow a few times during the meal. It will help clear things away and believe me noone minds.

Good luck with your expansion everyone!!!

#8 Post by **maia1orual** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:48 pm

thanks for all the advice! and to Billy, i ate spaghettio's thinking that would be easy. . .and yeah, pretty much had noodles stuck up all over the place! it is getting easier to eat, just not to talk =(
and, oddly enough. . .i've gotten a lot of rude comments from my friends. any advice for that, anyone? they all knew i was getting this done, and now that i have it they are very unsupportive *sigh* it's weird b/c everyone else on here seems to have had little or no negativity from people. anyways, at least my students think it's cool! haha

#9 Post by **overseasmel** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:11 pm

I got some negativity too, although only from a few people. In the beginning I took it but by thend I just outed them and told them "well, you're rude aren't you?" or similar, in a half-joking yet still serious way. They were usually a bit taken aback as I am generally quite mild-mannered, but they got the message. Be strong, even if they are daft!!

#10 Post by **KatK** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:15 pm

My coworkers made fun of me a lot in the beginning because they couldn't understand me. They were just kidding though.. I'm sorry your friends aren't being supportive. Perhaps they are just jealous because you are doing something for yourself?

Talking gets easier.... I still have trouble saying "skiing" and "geek" though.

Don't worry - I barely notice my pendulum - and my sister had an expander and reports the same thing. She barely noticed it after 3 weeks or so. Try milkshakes and protein shakes in the mean time!

#11 Post by **Kris721** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:56 am

I will have worn my expander for 1 year in March, and I feel like I've become an expert on the matter!

The first 2 months were really tough, and I lived on yogurt and milkshakes. I finally reached a point where I was so hungry I didn't care what I had to do eat something solid! It gets easier, I promise. Food will ALWAYS get stuck when you eat, but you'll develop little tricks to clear your expander.

#12 Post by **gramsinbraces** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 12:37 pm

Can you tell me some of your tricks ,,, this is one month for me and food just doesn't task the same...

#13 Post by **Kris721** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:22 pm

Well, it's going to sound a little gross, gramsinbraces, but here's what I do: I blow through the appliance, kind of like a hissing sound and the food becomes dislodged. Make sure you close your mouth, or the food may escape!

Also, toothpicks are your friend. Here's a pic of my appliance from August. I've had a bit of movement since then, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be wearing this contraption.

My next appointment is an appliance check, but after so many disappointments I'm not holding my breath that it'll be ready to come out.

Good luck in your treatment and hopefully you won't have to wear your appliance as long as I have!

#14 Post by **gramsinbraces** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:00 pm

LOL , SNeezing gets the food out fast!! I will try your idea also..I've had this since December and Orthodontist is please,,feb. 13 he will put on front four braces, I 'm so surprised it's moving along so fast. From what i've read the expander sounds worse than the braces, so I hope that is right. Thanks for your email. Hang in there we can do this.