Metal Mouth Message Board

November hits, and already my immune system is taking a beating. Last week my throat was scratchy and I started to cough. I decided that even though my ortho said "no hard candy, etc." that I would try cough drops anyway. All I had to do was suck on it, not bite into it. This worked just fine until I absent mindedly bit into it, and popped a bracket off. Not such a smart idea after all. I have a history of chronic bronchitis, and find cough drops helped soothe the cough immensely last year. Obviously, as I have taught myself, I can't handle that with braces. I have a thyroid condition, and am really suppossed to avoid taking otc cold/cough medicine all the time. My doctor usually doesn't treat the cough till it gets much worse. Any suggestions on what I can use instead?

Thanks for the help!

I wonder if you might be able to train yourself to not bite on cough drops. I have one in my mouth right now--biting hard candy isn't something you really should do with or without braces, is it??

Other thoughts--herbal teas, some of them maybe designed for cold sufferers?

Throat sprays?

A vaporizer?

I have had some chalky, soft lozenges that are safe to bite: Thayers Slippery Elm Lozenges. These are really for singers, though, and lack that mentholated thing.

I would go ahead and have the cough drops. I do believe halls makes the cough drops with a liquid center. I know I have see them before just cant remember exactly who makes them. Maybe see if you like those until you get use to not bitting on them.

Deleted.

Meryaten wrote: The most effective cough drop I've ever used is also perhaps the most foul - I think maybe you'd be able to use it without biting into it They're called Fisherman's Friend. Stateside they are available at places such as Rite Aid and Wally World. (See http://www.fishermansfriendusa.com/where-to-buy.html).

I second Fisherman's Friend.

They taste nasty, but the really work. They aren't hard like the normal 'Halls" type cough drops are (more like an Altoids, if you are familiar with those). I'd pretty much guarantee that you won't bite one.

Thanks for the suggestions...will definitely be looking into several of these.

As you already know, you need to boost your immune system (so stick to a healthy diet).
I've heard it said that a little bit of fresh pineapple eaten daily will definitely help ward off colds.
My Thai cooking teacher advised that if we feel a cold coming on we should get a stalk of lemongrass and pound the root lightly (to help release the oils) and then pop it in to a low simmering pot of water, pop our head over the top of it with a towel covering (to make a tent)...you'll feel any congestion quickly clear after a lemongrass inhalant.
Of course, the best thing to is to be very careful about who you sit next to on public transport (if they are sniffling and sneezing get up and move away) and try not to touch your face unless you know your hands are clean...even touching a pole on public transport can transfer nasties.

Cepacol cough spray.

My husband uses throat sprays but I think they're yucky! I've had my braces for 10 weeks and have had two colds within that time. I went ahead and used cough drops anyway as I've never had a problem with wanting to bite into them.