I also had braces as an adult and just got them off about 4 years ago. I guess I was lucky because, for the most part, I didn't really have much pain or soreness other than when they put the spacers in.

As others have mentioned, I ate pretty much everything that I had before the braces were on without trouble - I also had the metal kind. I found that it became more of an issue when the braces came off & I had to wear the retainers 24/7. That was a bit of a problem on long bike rides, but workable.

I also have the retainers that are the Invisalign sort -- I don't know how they compare to the traditional ones, but I ended up needing a crown on one of my teeth and then the retainer no longer fit properly. Fortunately, the crown went on a tooth in the back of my mouth, so my dentist was able to trim the retainer to fit.

As the others have said, it greatly improved my smile and I'd do it again in a heartbeat - good luck to you!