Do you really eat ANYTHING you want?!

Message

#1 Post by **Lozzie83** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:09 pm

Hello everyone,
I was doing a search last night to see if people eat chocolate and lollies... because I was told not too. I was amazed by what I found!
Not only do you eat chocolate, lollies and chew gum, but there are people chomping into hambugers and apples!
I was told biting into anything at all is a no no, and especially hard things like apples and carrots... and that everything should be cut up first and then placed on my back teeth to chew it up.

Right now I couldn't even contemplate biting into an apple or a hambuger... I'm still a bit too tender... but is this really ok?

I'm scared of snapping my wire or breaking a bracket off!

#2 Post by **braces38** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:14 pm

After awhile you will probably eat most anything.I was afraid at first but now I eat all kinds of food.

#3 Post by **Lisa65** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:28 pm

I eat 99% of what I ate before. The only things I don't eat are whole apples (I cut them up) and nuts (because they get stuck in my teeth too much). I never ate raw carrots or corn on the cob anyway. I chew gum sometimes.

I am just about to chomp into a sausage sandwich

At first when you get your braces it seems scary to eat anything more than soup, but you will soon adjust. Chewing is good for the gums as it stimulates blood flow and aids in tooth movement.

#4 Post by **KathyC** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:14 pm

I have only had braces for a little over a month. I still cannot bite into anything because my front teeth are just too tender. I do eat hamburgers and pizza but I cut them up and eat them with fork. (I know it just doesn't seem natural). I have also eaten chocolate, M&M's and Kit Kat's, yum. The only thing that I have been staying away from is nuts. I think they might just be too hard for me right now. I had steak when we went out to dinner. I'm just trying everything and so far haven't had any problems.

#5 Post by **lionfish** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:57 pm

I ate whatever I wanted, including chocs, nuts, corn, ribs, etc. I did cut the meat off the rib bone and the corn off the cob, as I wasn't game to bite into either.

#6 Post by **joney** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:11 pm

The only thing I avoid is really sticky chewy sweets e.g. toffees and mint humbugs. I was really naughty recently though and had some hardboiled sweets and but had to suck on them. Bad for your teeth at the best of times but I'm allowed to be naughty once in a year! It was a one off treat for myself.

I don't eat as many nuts as I used to as they are just too awkward to clean out of all the hiding places afterwards.

Otherwise I eat pretty much what I like.

#7 Post by **Betty Bat** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:37 pm

There seems to be a difference between biting and chewing/eating. I also found that it took me a while to bite into things, but I ate pretty much anything that I could get into my mouth and chew. The first thing I actually bit into was a banana, then I was good to go.

Just a day or two after I got my braces, I went to a fancy reception at one of the museums in Chicago. My only eating problem was when I got a large canape into my mouth and I couldn't figure out how to maneuver it around for chewing.

So, bon appetit!

ETA: I've heard of restrictions on eating popcorn with braces, but that's just because the hulls can get stuck in places.

#8 Post by **lilblackdress** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:27 am

*nods head in agreement*

I think the list of foods to avoid is mainly for younger patients in braces. Kids may not be as careful in how they eat their food, so it probably is best if they avoid eating certain foods.

Adults, however, are able to put more thought in their eating methods and should be able to eat nearly anything. I would avoid biting into hard things that could pop off a bracket like corn on the cob, ribs, and apples. Instead, remove the part you want to eat from the part you don't want to eat and then enjoy.

As it was explained to me, you can eat just about anything you want, you just have to be careful in how you eat it.

#9 Post by **iBorg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:08 am

I have to echo what's been said. Use common sense. Think before you bite. Some things that would challenge normal teeth will tear brackets off like a fresh apple. Some food is too tough to enjoy such as poorly cooked meat. The only time I really did something stupid was bite into a peach (it was soft) and hit the seed (it wasn't). Other things you can adapt your eating pattern to. I suck popcorn and eat it in small quanities instead of shoving a handful into my mouth at a time.

My biggest hurdle to eating is I ask myself is it worth cleaning up after.

Mike

#10 Post by **ibraceface** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:39 am

I have lingual braces so was extra terrified of breaking things! At the beginning I was really super careful... but have recently started eating anything and everything... including popcorn and caramel (i know... big no no's)

Anyways- the only things i stay away from are really hard foods and foods that require a TON of chewing, i.e steak, nuts, lettuce, hard fruits/veggies..

This is mainly because my bite is still out of whack and a lot of my teeth still dont touch...

But on the contrary--- i bit into my first cheeseburger last week and boy was it tasty!

#11 Post by **nogota** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:51 am

Hey,
I eat pretty much whatever I want. Like what most people have said, the only things I stay away from are apples and corn on the cob. I do eat carrots, but I bite them using my back teeth not my front teeth at all, to avoid knocking off brackets. I also stay away from candy canes, but that's mostly because I have invisalign on top, and it's a pain to keep it out the entire time I enjoy the candy cane.

As soon as you're feeling up to it jump back into a normal diet!

#12 Post by **Lozzie83** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:40 pm

Thanks for all of the encouraging replies everyone. I'm feeling better about my decision to get braces everyday!
this morning I decided I'd try to get through a bowl of crunchy cereal... and I managed to eat it!
My molars are still a bit tender when I chew, but no where near like they were the first few days

#13 Post by **Steadfast** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:14 pm

The only things I avoid are popcorn, apples, raw carrots, nuts and toffee. I enjoy chocolate often! I only drink fizzy drinks through a straw now too.

I've had my braces for a little while now but I still can't 'bite' into things - so I can eat a burger but I have to chop it up with a knife and fork first.

#14 Post by **SnowSara** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:24 pm

The only thing I don't do is eat Milk Duds and popcorn at the same time. I still eat both of these things separately, tho (hafta kinda suck on teh milk duds tho)

When I get my braces off in February I think I will go to a movie with a big box of Milk Duds and a large popcorn and go to town! I love the popcorn/caramel goop that forms! Haha, yum!

I guess I don't bite right into apples though either, I've tried but the brackets just slide over the surface.

#15 Post by **adultbraces** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:36 pm

So far I''ve had seperators.. Braces will come in next few weeks. Even with this rubber band & metals b/t my teeth, I'm 'swallowing' most of food.. and sucking on the bread and they actually melt on your mouth..

I don't knot what will I do when the braces are put on. But when I had my retainers for 3 yrs, that hurt and I avoided eating anything chewy lik meats. For sure, I'll stay away from candies and things that contains sugars b/c I'm too contious about them.