What Did You Stop Doing Since Braces

[JillD]

I used to stop at a French bakery to get pastry for breakfast on my way to work almost every morning. Since I got braces, I stopped doing that because I need to brush my teeth really well after breakfast and my office bathroom is not ideal. The people at that bakery knew me very well even though they didn't know my name. Even though there is a waiting line, they would put my favorite on the side so that I could just leave my money and pick it up. I am pretty sure that they wonder what happened to me because I suddenly disappeared.

Now that my ortho will let me know when I will be brace-free at my next appointment, I cannot wait to go back to the bakery. I wonder if they will notice any change in me.

[bmueller]

nail biting
chewing with my front teeth (corn on the cob)
snacking
leaning my chin in my hand (pushes back my lower jaw)

[giraffington]

-I have definitely stopped snacking - I don't want to brush my teeth more times than needed. I've also started drinking more water and avoiding sugary drinks.
-I have started avoiding certain foods, somewhat because they're bad for the braces but somewhat because they are difficult to eat. One of my favorite places to eat sold pad thai and now I find that I choke on the noodles because they get wrapped around the hooks on my braces. No more of that
-I don't smile with my mouth closed anymore. I can't physically do it without looking ridiculous, and my teeth look so much better now that I don't mind smiling with full teeth.
-I don't bite my nails anymore (or the skin around my nails)

[JillD]

now I find that I choke on the noodles

I didn't know people can choke on thin rice noodle paper such as wrap of summer rolls until I got braces. Because it is so thin, I couldn't chew it very well and it made me choke when I tried to swallow.

I didn't snack very much after I got braces. And then I had to wear elastics 24/7 for a while, which completely stopped me from snacking. Now that I wear elastics only when I go to bed, I learned that snacking isn't hard any more, so I snack often maybe not as often as in my pre-brace days, though.

[thisgal201]

I have pretty much stopped snacking in between meals.

[isthistaken]

I stopped wishing I could get up the nerve to get braces.

[Candyland]

I stopped eating beef. I've found I just can't chew it anymore. Also, hard candy. I'm wearing elastics 24/7 now and it is almost impossible to eat any hard candy like peppermints because you can't push it over to the side of your mouth anymore. Oh, and I also stopped smiling with my mouth closed because it does look terrible!

[ajs604]

Ive stopped heaps of stuff like snaking & eatery sugary types of food (like lollies). And eating anything that too hard. Its really weird how quickly you adapt. Now I just know what I can & cant eat. No doubt when braces are off there will be a feeding frenzy

I still eat the odd chips & drink a beer now & then!

[Ciara]

Nuts. I really miss them. Ground almonds just don't taste the same as real almonds.

[thiskatie]

I've stopped biting my nails (but I'm now starting to pick at them, can't wait to get acrylics on)
I've stopped biting into hard food with my front teeth (like previously mentioned, corn on the cob etc). But I still eat burgers and stuff because I can easily bite into them.
I don't eat anything hard or really chewy anymore. The only thing I want to do at the moment is bite into a nice apple or a pear.

The only thing I can't stop doing is drinking sugary drinks. Before I had my braces put on, I would buy a bottle of coca cola every time I went shopping. I'm still doing this, but I've cut down a little on how much I'm drinking. I admit that there's been several times where I haven't brushed my teeth straight afterwards. It's a terrible habit I now have to kick because I have braces on to better my teeth, not to worsen them.

[djspeece]

I should be able to say that I stopped eating popcorn but I was in a bit of a mini-funk recently and ate some for the first time in 10 months -- and the WORLD DID NOT END!
I have also stopped drinking blended scotch. Not sure if this is related to braces or not.

Have a great weekend everyone. Don't stop having fun!

[SunshineRay]

I only chew with my molars now and think they should be in great shape by the time I'm done with braces.

Dan, you rule breaker! I miss popcorn!

I do have to say that other then brushing more I havent changed that much in my habits. Oh I do drink tea with a straw now but I should have been doing that before.

[Valiere]

Smiling.

[djspeece]

Dan, you rule breaker! I miss popcorn!

That's how I roll, SunshineRay. Livin' on the edge!

[Matilda]

I stopped chewing gum.