Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm 46 and new to braces (just one week). As many working adults, my nutrition is not the optimal due to time limitations.

Is there any special nutritional requirements to help the "healing" process while on braces? Any specific vitamins or maybe calcium?

Nothing specific that I've heard of. I think that, in general, making sure that you get the proper amount of anti-oxidants, vitamin C, calcium, etc. It's not just your teeth that you are protecting, it's your gums and your periodontal ligaments.

I remember an article that you can help strengthen teeth by eating a minimum of one head of Romanian lettuce per day, and avoiding all types of sugar and sweeteners for two weeks. The Romanian lettuce can be juiced but is best in its natural state like a rabbit would eat. This helps to fortify the teeth and harden up the enamel. Also try eating a lot of mineral dense foods eg. lemons, apples, parsley, berries, eggs, greens...