Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello all, I wanted to post about a little issue I'm having. I seem to be unable to chew my food very well- I keep choking myself! I guess I just need to slow down and chew more before I swallow... but its really irritating how long it takes me to eat nowadays! Anyone else have this issue?

Hi Luella,

Yes! I found it very hard for the first few weeks to really chew my food and was practically swallowing it whole. I think this is fairly common as I've seen quite a few posts about it. Just give yourself time. You'll get used to what's comfortable and your teeth won't be as sore in a few weeks but keep chewing...it helps with the bloodflow.

I had to smile when I read your post I still have that problem everytime I think I am a big girl of 16 months and don't cut up my food into small pieces.

Nothing like choking in front of your co-workers to bring me back to reality.

I guess we will have to accept that it will take us longer to chew and it is not a good idea to swallow half chewed food

Good luck!

I think this whole "mindless chewing and swallowing" thing that I'm doing is half of my weight problem! LOL I need to slow my whole eating process down! If any of you watched "I can make you thin" on TLC a couple of months ago, the host guy was very concerned with people eating with zero distractions, chewing their food like 25 times, and to STOP eating when you even thought that you might be full. I should really really do what he says- I think it would totally help me with this issue!

Thank you Luella for making me feel normal again. This made me laugh b/c I can so relate. I've had braces for 4 days now, and spent my holiday weekend looking like an idiot eating. At a toddler birthday party, my cousin asked me what I was doing, while cutting a burger into itty bitty pieces, then I choked b/c it hurt to chew the itty bitty pieces. Classy. Yesterday, while at a baby shower, my friends just stared at me while it took me 10 minutes to cut up the appetizers of taco dip wrap, and spinich dip wrap. Once I cut these up, I could revel in food for the first time in 3 days. Both wraps were cream cheese or sour cream based. Sad thing is, it still hurt to eat.Thankfully, I'm taking shredded chicken salad for lunch and a yogurt.
BTW, are their any brace newbies who have dribbled drinks down themselves? I find that fun in a room full of people. This has caused me to become inventive--as now drink coffee thru a straw so as not to ruin my clothing.
I think this whole braces thing, could be a new revolutionary weight loss program. It has drastically changed my eating habits, 90% of the crap I usually eat is gone. One bad thing i've learned is that fluffy, moist cake is incredibly easy to eat with braces.

Tammers- I can totally relate!!! I'm glad I made you feel normal lol!

I have trouble chewing off and on, and it seems to be for two different reasons. Right after an adjustment, my teeth will be so sore that it hurts to chew, so that's one problem.

The other problem is that as my treatment progresses, my teeth move quite a bit. Sometimes they move to where my back teeth barely touch, or don't touch at all. That's the worst problem, because I can't chew no matter how hard I try! Mashed potatoes are my friend...

(It WILL be worth it in the end... It WILL be worth it in the end... It WILL be worth it in the end... )

Meryaten wrote:A word of advice for tender teeth: consider taking a dose of your favourite over the counter pain reliever maybe a half hour before meals when your teeth are sore. That makes it easier to chew with those teeth, and the sooner you chew the sooner it will actually stop hurting.

meryaten: that is actually a very brilliant idea, I never would have even thought of that until you said that.
I tend to druel alot for the first few days after getting an adjustment then i don't seem to druel as much. I also find myself druling alot when i sleep on my stomach which is definetly fun waking up to a wet pillow sheet. ah the joys of having braces, but like everyone else has said, it will be well worth it in the end!

I just got my bottom braces on today. My back molars are so turned inwards from my impacted wisdom teeth (removed last week) that I'm literally biting down on the brackets. I'm afraid to chew. It takes me forever to eat. I'm not sore at all though.

I laughed when I read this because when I first got my braces I remember posting about drueling. I would druel like crazy, and choking I can't count the number of times my husband has had to come "save the day" lol slowing down helped out a bunch although I'm not very good at the cut it up because I am so darn impatient that by the time I get that done I don't want it anymore lol.. I just stick to protein shakes instead when I have sore teeth.

Soup's good when your teeth are too sore to bite. I make asparagus soup and put little bits of chicken in for a bit of protein.

I know what someone said about cake...very easy to eat

Agreed. Better to get on with chewing!

I go on a soft food diet for a day or two after adjustment, but then get on chewing. Though never taken pain medication...just got very annoyed sometimes!

By your ticker it looks like you've had your braces for less than two weeks, so that is really common. It will take you rediculous amounts of time to eat at first (first 2-3 weeks). Then slowly you will have less and less pain and your mouth will get use to the braces and you will speed up a bit. But you probably won't be able to eat quite as fast as you did before the braces untill they come off. Its just part of the ride. Consider it a blessing. Most ppl eat way too fast anyways.

Just an update chewing is getting easier , but I still feel a bit trepidatious when advancing to tougher foods that actually require me to chew well.

Forcing myself to chew, rather than just swallow, has really seemed to help the choking and the soreness on the back teeth a bit, that is after the pain of eating, brushing or flossing wears off. I still have severely sensitive teeth, but everyone keeps assuring me it is normal. I just want to feel confident eating normal food again. Now, I just need to get rid of the soreness on those front teeth. They seem more fragile with food.

For those of you that drool, I'm having the same issues. Drool slips out occasionally after I drink too. Thankfully none of my coworkers have noticed, but sadly my students did, after I stupidly choked myself on water.

BTW, I've found I have a new found appreciation for yogurt, soft serve ice-cream (minus the cone--sniff sniff), applesauce, and corned beef hash....