Braces-half my diet has been eliminated!

[runnergirl]

I got braces on my lower teeth last Thursday. On the plus side, I'm losing the weight I wanted to. But only because most of my normal foods have been eliminated-clif bars, kashi granola bars and cereals, apples, carrots, salad, chicken (all meat really), crusty ww bread, baked chips, crackers...

I'm currently living on yogurt, hommade yeast rolls, ice cream, over-ripe pears, bananas, prunes, cottage cheese, and scrambled eggs. I'm trying to keep the protien, fat, and carbs balanced, but this is getting old fast. Any ideas?

Hubby went and got a good quality blender for me this weekend, and I have some whey protein-smoothie recipies anyone? I can't get the whey to not be all clumpy and gross.

I sure hope straight teeth are worth this!

[Irulan]

chicken, wheat bread? I hope the soreness goes away soon.
those foods are not forbidden by any orthodontist I've ever dealt with, and our family's teeth alone probably account for a year's worth of ski condo payments for our DDS. Give it some time: once the teeth reposition themselves and settle in, you should be back to normal except for the usual forbidden list. My kids would live on mashed potatoes for a few days after getting them tightened, then they'd be ok until the next visit.

~I.

[Blueberry]

I had braces and didn't have to give up all of that. For the first week or so, my mouth hurt like h*** and I didn't want anything but soup . After that, though, I could eat anything except apples whole, corn on the cob, anything else that requires you to eat it whole and hard candy/gum. I ate basically normal foods - chicken, bread, lots of veggies, salads, etc. No problems.

Is this from your ortho, or because you're sore? If it's from your ortho, I would get a second opinion. I had my braces on for 2 years, and with that restrictive a list, I would worry about proper nutrition. Good luck and keep us posted...

[DirtDiva]

The inside of your mouth will toughen up surprisingly quickly and it won't be long before you're eating normally again (including all the stuff they tell you not to eat, but that everyone does ). Yeah, the first few days are really kinda painful, and the first couple of weeks are a bit tender, but after that it's fine - you might be sore again for a day or two after an appointment, depending on what the orthodontist does, but nothing is ever as bad as those first few days. It will be worth it when you get them off! <--- See, nice and straight!

- tlkiwi, who would be tlbugsbunny if it weren't for 16 months and 29 days of braces (you'd think I was counting...)

[runnergirl]

Yes, it's mostly due to the pain in the front teeth, plus the shredded interior of my mouth. Also I can't grind food in my molars until the teeth start moving because of how the anchors sit. It's been four days and I'm still living on advil-I'm guessing at least another three or four days till I can chew on the rear teeth. The cheeks have started healing, but my tounge is still a pulp on the sides. At least it's a good weight loss plan.

[Irulan]

When my kid's bands were first put on, I was amazed at how much the teeth moved right away. The change was visible within HOURS. No wonder their mouths hurt!! But it didn't last.

[jobob]

I lost 2 pants sizes in a few months thanks to my braces (like you, lowers only). It helped my hill climbing a bit.

SadieKate likes to dangle PayDay bars in front of me when we go riding. She's rather perverse that way.

That shredded feeling in the inside of my mouth has never really gone away, even after about 10 months with these stupid things. Sometimes it'll subside a bit just to flare up again with a vengance.

According to the latest estimate (*cough* lie *cough*) from my orthodontist, I should get them off in about 3 months. right...

[SadieKate]

I'm sorry. Bubba started the PayDay thing and I didn't realize the pain issue. I have tried to mend my ways. Between your teeth, V's, Kim's and yellow's dietary complexities, and my failing memory . . . just wait until you're my age.

[SAMbike]

Hi,

I saw the post about foods and things to eat with braces and was wondering how things have progressed for you. I'm very interested in this because I just got braces on yesterday. Both upper and lower, and I have to wear rubber bands too! I've only eaten very soft foods. I cannot chew anything. I feel like going out and buying baby food. But I'm sure I'll be able to chew again one of these days... right? If you have any advice/lessons learned over the past few months I'd love to learn from you.

I'm concerned about eating on long training rides and during races. Luckily I can take off the bands when I eat, then brush my teeth, and put them back on, but I really should wear my bands all the time, except for during meals, and everything I read says that you should not eat sugary foods and to brush immediately after eating.

So I'd love to hear how others with braces and bands deal with eating on training rides and during races. My normal ride foods are energy bars and fruits, and my race foods are Gu and Gatorade. How will this affect my teeth? Do you all actually remove your bands to eat during a ride and put them back on? Some of my rides are about 5-6 hours long.

thanks so much!
Susan

[Bella]

I had adult braces (upper/lower) for almost three years. I was diligent about everything the ortho told me - which was to stay away from cracker jack and carmel only and that it was ok to deviate from his instruction (rubber bands nearly 24/7 except for eating), then I was to do it for valid reasons (like sports).

The food warnings are because most people are poor flossers and lax in general about teeth cleanings. With braces obviously you can't brush or floss as well - so the likelihood of plaque and food getting stuck is higher. I used a high end water pik type brush and for three years never had a cavity and ate what I wanted.

Given that your braces might be on for a year or two or more, a few hours without bands on the weekends etc are not going to derail your treatment.

If the inside of your lip is getting ripped to shreds, try the wax. Soothing relief.

If anything, the real testament to your involvement in your treatment is how often and well you wear your retainer. Your teeth WILL move back to their original position if not halted. Although I don't visit my ortho, I still wear my retainer 2x week at night. Sometimes after a stressful week, it fits very tightly....indicating they moved slightly.

Good luck and do know you can eat pretty much what you want.

[crazybikinchic]

advice from someone with to many years in dentistry for a career. Wax.yes.
For the sores, warm salt water rinses will help it heal faster.

[JoyfulGirl]

wasn't biking when I had my braces as a teen but was involved in a lot of sports.
Bananas were my friends.
individual cups of apple sauce
yogurt cups
cups of fruit cocktail
I hate jello but I'd put mandarin oranges in it and could eat it...
Anything that I could pretend was a liquid, shake up, and suck down out of a cup was great by me.
I'd super duper overboil chicken and shred the heck out of it
For meals at home mashed potatos were great. Drown em in gravy with meat bits or super shredded chicken again.
individual servings of oatmeal, toss them in a coffee cup and drown them in milk and drink them down, same with cream of wheat..

I think I -gained- weight during brace time because of an excessive fondness of creamy peanutbutter chocolate milkshakes

The fist 2 weeks really were agony, then the 3 days after they were tightened. :/

The wax really helps when it's too much to bear, and it's handy to keep it around in case you break a wire or pop a bracket. It can be painful if it springs out and starts grinding away at your checks or gums. Handy to keep just in case...

It's probably gross but after quick snacks I'd rinse and spit.. Brush after meals but for snacks at track meets or anything... I was the super stealth rinse and spitter. The ortho never noticed if I was doing that, the only time he noticed was if I slacked off on twice daily flossing and 3 times a day brushing.. As long as I did that I was pretty good in his eyes.

I was noncompliant about my retainer and finally my ortho suggested a permanent retainer.. It is indeed -permanent- I have it these 12 years later still. But well worth it to not have to fuss with it and remember it. Just a thin metal band behind my back teeth. I wish my teeth weren't -quite- so straight even. It's almost abnormal, the regularity and perfect straightness. Strange how sometimes beauty's in the quirks

Good luck with braces everyone who has em, not dissing the straight teeth. Just strange how nowdays people can have absolutely perfect looking teeth I find myself admiring a pointy eye tooth now and again <G>

[SAMbike]

Thanks so much for the advice and words of support from everyone! I *really* appreciate it!!!

Using a camelback while racing yesterday was quite an experience. I had to stick it waaaay back by my molars and try to gently squeeze... I wound up not drinking very much (only about 50 oz. during a 2.5 hour race) which isn't good. And getting Gu into my mouth... I realize I rely on my front teeth for so much! I'll get better at it I'm sure.

Many thanks again,
- Susan

[Crankin]

This is why I did Invisalign... I had regular braces as a kid for like 4 years. After that and 4 extractions (I have a teeny mouth), my bottom teeth still went back to their original position. One tooth was totally behind another.
I wore the Invisalign for about a year and nine months. The good thing was with them is that I just didn't wear the aligners when I was riding and drinking anything sugary (water is OK). The few hours I had them out didn't seem to affect the course of treatment. It's been 3 years and I still wear my retainer aligners when I go to sleep. I was told that I could wean off of them, but any time I do, I notice my teeth start moving back to the original position. Very slight, but I notice it. Basically, the dentist told me that this always happens, no matter what kind of braces you have and you pretty much have to wear a retainer a few hours a day forever.
Whe i saw my son last weekend, I saw that despite his braces at ages 10-13, his bottom teeth are totally out of line and basically look like mine did before the Invisalign.

[indysteel]

Not that I don't find this subject interesting--I've been wearing braces since October of 2007--but I always find it odd when an old thread on a random topic gets revived. Short of doing a search for braces, I'm not sure how one would even find it.

That said, I can eat just about anything now so long as I'm careful and if don't mind spending some time cleaning my teeth after my meal. I had 4 extractions last September and that was tough going for a while, but even that got better after a couple of months. Sadly, I've not lost any weight because when I am having trouble, ice cream is my best friend.