Braces-half my diet has been eliminated!

[bmccasland]

I had front teeth that were shifted slightly over, thus my canine (eyetooth) stuck out in front. I wore braces on my top teeth, with monthly tightenings to march my teeth into proper position. Once a month, I ate a soft food diet for a few days. But the hardest thing as I recall (it was a *few* years ago ), was playing my flute - curling my lip properly was difficult, especially when my teeth were tightened - that dental wax was my friend. Got my braces off during finals week my freshman year of college. That was SO much fun!

[ColoKate]

I had adult braces a few years ago and I LIVED off wraps and burritos because they were so soft and easy to eat...

I did whole wheat tortillas with eggs and cheese for breakfast, adding sauteed veggies like peppers, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and onions diced small. Mashed potatoes are good in these.

I loved wraps for lunch with stuff like turkey, a spread like hummus or cream cheese and whatever veggies/greens I could chew without pain.

For dinner I made burritos out of beans, cheese, sometimes rice, cooked or poached and shredded chicken that didn't take a lot of chewing. Or just no meat and avocado instead.

I have a slight built and was afraid of losing weight and these were good combos of healthy carbs, protein and fat according to my doc and ortho. Finding really soft food was so hard for me and my braces just killed. Good luck!

[e3rdpower]

Yes, I'm reviving an old thread because I searched for "braces".

I just had ceramic braces placed yesterday, top and bottom. Anticipated wear time one year. For me, it was a gum health issue, the crowding was causing recession. Ack.

All these tips have been very helpful, as I'm in the "I can't chew anything" phase. Thank goodness for my Blendtec. One thing I'm still trying to figure out is how I will open gels while riding. Generally I use my teeth to tear open the package. It seems that opening ahead of time could cause a messy jersey pocket. Bananas are good, and hopefully I'll be able to eat those soon, but can't carry too many of those at once. Any ideas/suggestions are welcome! (My ride this morning gave valuable lessons already. Do not pull on the water bottle valve with your teeth, as I was accustomed to. And drinking is a little interesting.) I ride mostly road, but do mountain bike as well. I already have a mouth guard en route. Hadn't thought about the Camelbak issue until I read this thread!

Thanks in advance!

[indysteel]

Yes, I'm reviving an old thread because I searched for "braces".

I just had ceramic braces placed yesterday, top and bottom. Anticipated wear time one year. For me, it was a gum health issue, the crowding was causing recession. Ack.

All these tips have been very helpful, as I'm in the "I can't chew anything" phase. Thank goodness for my Blendtec. One thing I'm still trying to figure out is how I will open gels while riding. Generally I use my teeth to tear open the package. It seems that opening ahead of time could cause a messy jersey pocket. Bananas are good, and hopefully I'll be able to eat those soon, but can't carry too many of those at once. Any ideas/suggestions are welcome! (My ride this morning gave valuable lessons already. Do not pull on the water bottle valve with your teeth, as I was accustomed to. And drinking is a little interesting.) I ride mostly road, but do mountain bike as well. I already have a mouth guard en route. Hadn't thought about the Camelbak issue until I read this thread!

Thanks in advance!

I hate gels myself, but I do believe that they make plastic flasks for them. But even with those, you might be tempted to open the flask with your teeth. I've had my braces off for a little more than a year, and if memory serves, opening a water bottle with my teeth was only an issue when my teeth were actually sore (which was often enough, as I had my braces on for 4 years and had lots of adjustments). I had no issue using a Camelback with my braces.

As for on-bike food, I mostly stuck to bananas, Larabars, certain nuts (I could not eat whole almonds with my braces; they're just too hard) and dried fruit. But that's what I tend to eat anyway. The only thing that gave me pause was Clif Bloks. They can be tricky with braces.

Really, once the pain subsides, you should be able to eat fairly normally. When you get an adjustment, take a pain reliever before the appointment. That helps a lot. Also, stay hydrated. I found that when I got dehydrated, I was much more prone to cuts in my mouth from the braces. Keep wax containers everywhere. In your purse, on your bike, in your office, by your bed, etc., etc. Also keep Oragel or similar product handy. When you have a cut in your mouth, it helps create a protective barrier over it.

Good luck! You won't regret doing this for yourself.

[e3rdpower]

I've never worn braces, but I've also never used my teeth to open a gel. I use my fingers.

If I'm eating a gel, it's usually in a fast group ride, so I only take one hand off the bars. If I'm stopped or by myself where I can sit up and ride without hands it wouldn't be an issue for sure.

I hate gels myself, but I do believe that they make plastic flasks for them. But even with those, you might be tempted to open the flask with your teeth. I've had my braces off for a little more than a year, and if memory serves, opening a water bottle with my teeth was only an issue when my teeth were actually sore (which was often enough, as I had my braces on for 4 years and had lots of adjustments). I had no issue using a Camelback with my braces.

As for on-bike food, I mostly stuck to bananas, Larabars, certain nuts (I could not eat whole almonds with my braces; they're just too hard) and dried fruit. But that's what I tend to eat anyway. The only thing that gave me pause was Clif Bloks. They can be tricky with braces.

Really, once the pain subsides, you should be able to eat fairly normally. When you get an adjustment, take a pain reliever before the appointment. That helps a lot. Also, stay hydrated. I found that when I got dehydrated, I was much more prone to cuts in my mouth from the braces. Keep wax containers everywhere. In your purse, on your bike, in your office, by your bed, etc., etc. Also keep Oragel or similar product handy. When you have a cut in your mouth, it helps create a protective barrier over it.

Good luck! You won't regret doing this for yourself.

Thanks very much! I'm actually going to put some wax on after I brush...it took me about an hour to get some eggs and oatmeal down. I was hoping the Larabars would be OK, as they are also a normal food for me. I've already given away some KIND bars-too sticky and pieces of nuts are large and I was worried about that. I was thinking about the Clif Bloks since I could open those ahead of time, but the sticky factor definitely gives me pause. If you were able to open your water bottle with your teeth, then maybe I'll be able to pre-tear the gel packet a little bit and then open the rest of the way with my teeth. I do have a gel flask which has a bite-valve like a CamelBak, no real top so I'll try that too.

[Becky]

Tape the gel packet to your bike's top tube? I've heard that triathletes do this and just tear them off and open in one step.

[GLC1968]

Tape the gel packet to your bike's top tube? I've heard that triathletes do this and just tear them off and open in one step.

Yep, this. Tape just the top of the gel to the top tube (you can layer them if you need a bunch for a ride) and just rip one off at a time. The top stays taped to the tube and you get just an open packet in your hand. Works best with electrical tape.

[indysteel]

Right now, you're very sore. Certain things that going to be difficult for the next week or so but will become easier as the soreness lessens. As you get used to the braces, you will be able to comfortably chew most foods. You just have to be careful. I could eat things like whole nuts (minus almonds), so long as I didn't just chomp down on them. I ate apples, but sliced them first. I ate popcorn, but was careful about avoiding any kernels. I ate corn on the cob, but only in private because it took a good twenty minutes to clean my teeth. There's a learning curve, but you'll figure it out. But the first couple of weeks are admittedly tough. At the time, I was riding 200+ miles a week and living on yogurt and soup was hard, as I needed to consume a lot of calories to keep up. I was starving at times, and that induced a few breakdowns. But it got easier; I swear.

After an adjustment, you'll be sore for 24-48 hours, but it's easy to work around it. I made a lot of soup and pasta. Slossing some ice water in your mouth can also help with pain. I had a couple of instances where I had more major work done during the time I wore braces, e.g., I had four teeth pulled two years into it. That sucked, and I was dependent on Motrin. If you do use OTC pain relievers, be mindful that they're hard on your kidneys, especially with exercise. Drink lots of waters to help your kidneys out.

Let me know if you have any questions or need reassurance about something.