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I got braced on just the lowers on 8/28. I had spacers for 1 1/2 weeks before that and an extraction as well. Needless to say, I have only just now started to eat food that requires much chewing. Even then, only soft stuff -- oatmeal, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, ice cream.
My husband told me last night that I needed to start chewing more. I told him that I had only chewed lightly on one side of my mouth for three weeks now and if it had to continue for two years, so be it.
(I was only half joking! )
My question to all the braced adults and those who survived the journey... Will I suffer bone loss or gum recession if I am unable to chew more solid food for an extended period of time?
I know that it gets better. It already has improved quite a bit. But, the rate I am going, by the time I can actually chew an honest-to-goodness meal, it will be time for my adjustment and I will be back at square one.
it does get better eventually. I wasn't able to really chew until about about a week and a half after I got braced and that was really soft food like pasta, bread, potatoe based foods. Eventually I was able to eat meats and friuts and veggiies and every now and then I still eat soft foods because my teeth ache from movement. Everyone is different so one person may be abe to crunch down on granola another may be stuck in pudding hell. I do know I am pretty much gonna live on carbs and every once in awhile get some crunchy stuff. And one side is more sore than the other and ibuprofen is my friend after adjustments and on achey days. I doubt if your gums will recede by sticking with soft foods but I'm not a dentist. Sometimes chewing helps the pain by encouraging circulation around the tooth and stimulating bone growth.
I don't know the answer to your question, but I can sympathize! I was in SO much pain when my braces were put on and the pain killers did absolutlely nothing. I got so sick of people asking me if I'd taken any pain medicine and why wasn't I eating solid foods yet. It took me a MONTH before I could eat cereal after my braces were put on. I lost so much weight because I could only drink slimfast, boost, etc. and eat really soup mashed potatoes and icecream... I used to cry every day because I was SO hungry and sick of liquidy foods. On the plus side, after my first adjustment, I was able to eat soft NORMAL foods right away and have only had to use the liquidy diet at most half a week after my adjustments.
Don't give up and just be patient with yourself!!
Ceramics on top on 4/03/08
Metal on bottom on 4/03/08
I just couldn't bring myself to puree anything. I have a blender, and people suggested it, but the idea was not appealing to me. I do understand the people who have had surgery don't have an option, and I feel for them. My aunt had her jaw wired shut and did the puree meal plan. Something funny with her was that she had to write everything out since she couldn't talk - her two year old daughter was saying, write it down for me Mommy even though she couldn't read. Each person is different though and tolerances towards fork smashed food can be different as well. It took me two weeks before I could eat scrambled eggs. I remember having to take REALLY small bites. You just need to learn to eat what you can eat, when you can eat it, and how the best method is for you. I think the reason it upset me so badly is because I really love food, i.e. have a lot of cookbooks, watch the foodnetwork a lot, that kind of thing. I sincerely hope you handle it better than I did!
Ceramics on top on 4/03/08
Metal on bottom on 4/03/08
Today is my 6th day in braces and for the first 4 I honestly could not imagine eating anything that needed chewing in the next month. I was not an happy person at all! Having lived on porridge, up to 3 times a day (do you know what that does to your body ) and soup, since Monday I have been ingesting pasta, I say ingesting because eating implies that there was chewing involved when there was mainly swallowing in my case! I have been find with cous-cous as well and even had rice yesterday but it does get stuck under the brackets.
I am also snacking a lot less than normal and haven't eaten bread since getting my braces. This is an achievement in itself because I was a bread freak. I am getting braver and actually thinking of cooking a roast dinner tonight. Normally would choose beef but think chicken will be the best option with my mouth issues. Will be cooking it for a lot longer than normal so that it drops off in flakes and doesn't need chewing. Instead of roast potatoes, will do mashed instead and soft carrots & well cooked broccoli. Think the yorkshire pudding will be out of the question thoug because tearing into food is even harder than chewing because it involves the front teeth and mine are still sensitive.
Please believe me when I say it does get better and quicker than you can imagine. I LOVE food and it was so painful to not be able to eat even though I wanted to so badly but still I didn't allow myself to starve. There are alternatives out there, you just need to find them.
The night before I had my braces on I went to the grocery store, went up and down every aisle, and put everything in my cart that didn't gross me out and could be mashed with a fork or my tongue. A friend of mind had their braces removed just before i got mine on so I had a good idea of what to expect. I hadn't heard refried beans mentioned on this post yet, so that's another thing, canned green beans, oatmeal, spaghetti-os, "cream of" soups, egg salad. Those were all staples for me. Best of luck. And if there is any discomfort after your adjustments it won't be anywhere near what the first few weeks of braces is like. So hang in there. We've all been through it and are here to tell help.
WOW! I feel lucky! I got my braces on 5 weeks ago (8/6), and had them tightened the first time today. The initial week was awful, but that was due mostly to constantly biting my cheeks and lips, and having sores there from the hardware. Wax and Orabase took care of that, and it tapered off quickly after 7-10 days. Eating wasn't much of a problem after the first week, except my molars did not meet anymore. I asked my ortho how long it would be before they would, and he said "Within 2-3 months." They were back together within 2 WEEKS! I was crunching on almonds in 3 weeks. (I don't do that every day...!) No problems eating, but I do avoid nuts and other hard foods. I went in to get the new wire on today, and he asked how it's going, I told him, and he said we'll skip a wire and go on to the next one! It's only been 3 hours, and I don't feel a thing (knock wood). Something must be wrong here!
Oh - don't worry. Very soon you'll be chomping down anything and everything. I was exactly like you for the first 2 weeks where I feared eating anything solid which resulted in chewing. But I slowly started biting and chewing (really small bites) and very soon realized I could pretty much eat anything (and including pop-corn, that too kettle corn!) if you are just careful and eat slow.
You have all of my understanding! I am one month and a few days into braces and I am just starting to dare to chew. Meryaten's advice to chew to reinforce your teeth is a good one. I started trying more and more. My back teeth are still sore (I don't get it?!). And I still don't use my front teeth. And I don't HAVE middle teeth (gaps!). So my very back teeth are doing all the work.
BUT I must say that as a rule I put ALL my food (pretty much) through the blender. And I am eating BETTER that ever! Whole grains with cooked vegetables and organic beans... I love how it helps me make better choices! No taste for pizza or junk food! I did not even had ice cream once! I am "mostly" vegan I must say. I did try a couple of yogourts. (But there are better choices of yogourts in Quebec where I come from!). I cut down on sugar foods and I stopped snacking! I lost a few pounds and at least that feels fantastic!
Time to use your blender for a whole lot more than smooties! Use the cooking water from steam veg to help the mix. That is the bright side of this experience!
And there is always the pasta dish in restaurants... which I used to never choose, now it's my food of predilection!
Yet I am trying to start chewing more to stimulate blood flow and bone formation... There is a time for all the right phases... When it feels right!
I'm on day number 10 of wearing braces and the chewing is becoming easier. It's still an overall "weird" sensation but I'm becoming more confident chewing. Biting into something is still difficult.
Reading other people experiences has certainly been helpful.
i had my spacers put in a week ago and i still cant really chew, but what bothered me the worst was my mouth feeling like it was rubbed with sandpaper! my back teeth just ache like crazy now....god bless slimfast.
I couldn't chew at the beginning either. It was much too painful.
I ate soft foods as much as possible and took pain meds when it was really bad..
As I got further into treatment I chewed through the pain on sugar-free chewing gum, not bubble gum.
A few hours of this type of chewing after an adjustment set me up for pain-free eating the following day.
22 months in treatment (upper ceramics, gelb on lower arch and then self-ligating brackets), hawley retainers LithpingLitha's Braces Story
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) and soup, since Monday I have been ingesting pasta, I say ingesting because eating implies that there was chewing involved when there was mainly swallowing in my case! I have been find with cous-cous as well and even had rice yesterday but it does get stuck under the brackets.
