Social life = OVER :(

[butterfly]

HI

yesterday I felt so great, could even eat on one side. So today we went out with friends to a trip... and had lunch. Big mistake.

The nightmare started.

The first place we found had to be discarded because there was no sink and no mirror in the restrooms. I felt like really stupid insisting on this. My husband is supportive though, so we found another place.

I ordered a dish based on ground beef. I was sure this wouldn't be a big deal. But I could not eat it. It was too crispy and hard or something. I was in pain and there was no way to just swallow it. At the end I ended up eating only the additions and left the place hungry.

Not to mention brushing my teeth in front of the other women that used the restrooms. I felt like everyone stared at me. When I went to the toilet I cried.

I don't know how I wil handle this for 1,5 years!!! Going out to eat is a major recreational thing in our life (it's also related to mediterrenean culture - there is basically no social event which is not based on eating!)

I also realised that day trips and especially offroad trips would be over for me as well. How can you eat without being able to clean yourself afterwards?! Any fast food place is out of the question.

I feel like a made a mistake.

[Metal Mouth Guy]

Relax... Deep breaths.... Everyone here has been there. You're not gonna die (just wish you had).

If all the hardware is in, give it another 10 days or so and you should be fine.

MMG

[Echo]

When I first got my braces, I would brush after every meal. It was really a pain, especially when eating out. After having the braces awhile, I found that it is not always necessary. Now I only brush morning and night, and during the day when I eat, I just swish water in my mouth and it gets everything out. You will learn the tricks, just give it time!

[caryca]

it's difficult at the begining, but you will get used to.... eating out is a bit of a trick...I had once a ...well discussion at Mcdonald (I was after some beer...) the toilet was closed..... which is rediculues...as I cannot have sharama at other places... the salt will look intresting.

I use some tricks: before going for paint with freinds; first I go to eat something.... then I join... so no brushing needed.

Eating out: I look if they have a rest room; after awhile you will feel ok to brush in a public places: use the place for changing napkins (or whatever the babies are having?) or the toilet for disabled.

For the outdoor...well I take always a pint of water, so I can brush in the forest..not really environmental friendly, but well...it's not that bad.

YOU will get used to!!

Good luck and welcome to the club

[Aradia252]

It will definitely get better. After a few times, you'll be able to work the food out of your braces with your tongue and by swishing water. I go out to eat a lot and I rarely end up going to the bathroom to brush my teeth afterwards because I've become really good at chewing only with my back teeth and working out the food. The only thing I ever really have a problem with when I go out to eat is when I order something with spinach. Now THAT is a worthy of a trip to the restroom. Otherwise, my suggestion is to bring one of those little spiral brushes with you wherever you go. And if you're nervous about brushing in front of people, take the little spiral brush and a compact into the stall and do it there. I admit I feel odd brushing in public restooms, but once an older woman said to me "wow, the dentist must REALLY love you!!" while I was brusing up.

[2XRound]

Butterfly: I know what you are thinking and I completely agree with you. I went to a luncheon today and bravely went through the motions of trying to eat. I managed to get a piece of cracker stuck in my front teeth. Because these turbo things keep my bite apart I can chew absolutely nothing. What's worse, my mouth is always open. It looks like a liquid diet for me for the indefinite future. Was this a mistake, yes: I think vanity has gotten the better of me. It looks like I may get my wish of loosing enough weight to get from a size 8+ to a 6. What do they say, be careful what you wish for.

[dkt3]

I was in exactly the same boat! I thought I had made a bad decision for about a week. Then the second week was easier, then third easier again and now I really dont even remember most of the time I have braces. Give it time. It will get better.

[glowstix]

i never brushed in public. just rinse your mouth with water and brush first thing when you get home. i did ok. matter of fact, i think eating out is worse with retainers since you have to take them out which means your hands have to be clean and you have to bring your retainer case. what if you don't have it?? then you have to put them back in. i just eat at home instead..

[KJM]

I think that everyone seems to have trouble eating the first few weeks until you get used to your new braces. It does get better !!
I still eat everything with a fork (yes, I eat burgers with a fork so I dont have to bite into bread- it sticks in my brackets terribly!) I just choose meals that dont get stuck in my teeth as much.

Trust me, you will be back on the social bandwagon before you know it so dont get discouraged. I thought that I would lose a bunch of weight too, but alas I have even gained!

Hang in there!!

[DizzyKitty]

I got myself used to the brushing in public really quick so now it doesn't really bother me.

Less than 2 weeks into braces we went camping so that really threw me into it...there was a shower room thankfully but always packed with people. My main embarrassment is that when I spit, it's really hard to do so I've got this string of gummy spit hanging from my mouth while I move onto the next side of teeth and I have to spit like 5 times to get it all out at the end and I make yucky noises. I really try to time for when someone flushes the toilet so they don't hear it LOL

If I am going home right after a meal, I don't even bother.

[fearthetenor]

Things will start getting better soon. At first, it's awful. Then it starts getting better over time.

[butterfly]

Thanks to all of you for your kind words.

Isn't it ironic ...? At the evening of the same day I was eating pasta at home with almost no pain. I finished it a few seconds because I was sooooo hungry. It was relatively big noodles so I had to *chew* them.

The feeling seems to change hourly.

I think I will insist on eating italian next time. ...

[KJM]

butterfly I think that my first "real" meal was pasta too. I remember feeling so thrilled to be able to eat something that was so satisfying. LOL

The day I had my braces on my kids and I drove to my mothers house in Delaware (11 hours away) and spent the week. I remember that we ate out alot that week- that was challenging. There isnt always that much on a menu that is soft and easy to eat ( I couldnt bite down so it was hard to chew) I remember eating macaroni and cheese, and soup a lot. Oh and lo mein noodles at the mall was a nice yummy treat!

Things do change quickly, in a couple weeks things will seem much different to you. Hang in there!

[bbsadmin]

I did a lot of travelling with braces. At first it wasn't easy and I agree that brushing in a pubic restroom is embarrassing (until you get used to it...by the end my attitude was "You have a problem with this? Well I don't give a sh*t!") You should have seen the looks some French women gave me at the restroom at the Rodin museum in Paris (I was hungry and all they had were sandwiches)! I wish I'd have known some appropriate French phrases to throw at them, LOL!

Anyway, over time you learn what will lodge in your braces and what won't. For instance, burritos were a big no-no in public because the tortilla always smooshed into my front brackets, no matter how careful I was. It took a lot of work in the bathroom to get that tortilla off. Uck!

Do a lot of swishing with water between bites. Learn from trial and error what will "work better" for you in terms of food=messy cleanup. After a while it won't be so traumatic.