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.

[jobob]

nooo, it's not a pain issue, it's just that I can't have chewy foods, especially caramel and nuts. Which for PayDay bars pretty much leaves the wrapper

I'm starting to fantasize about what I'm going to eat when I get these stinkers off ...PayDay bars, pecan pie, Xtra chunky peanut butter ... trouble is, if I'm not careful I might be Xtra chunky all over again

[jobob]

But RG, if it helps any, I was back to chewing pretty normally after a few weeks, and I'm back to eating most types of food now - the only major exceptions being the nut and caramel food groups.

A lot of foods fall into the "more trouble than they're worth" category at the moment, since tey're such a hassle to either eat or get out of my braces later - corn on the cob, barbeque ribs (oh I do miss them!!) . In theory I shouldn't have popcorn either but it's not much of a problem nowadays (except I have to do an extra round of brushing to get the detrius out, ewwww).

As for your here & now, I found it was much easier to eat salad when I chopped it up finely (think tortilla filling).

Jo, fantasizing about BBQ ribs and corn on the cob & pecan pie, arrghhhh

[annie]

You can eat popcorn, JoBob ????? That was the hardest food for me to give up. And I've tried to eat it........ the cleaning out of the braces afterwards is just not worth it!! (I have braces, upper and lower, and had an appliance in my upper mouth until just a few weeks ago.)

It has been 2 years and 8 months so far! And my estimate was for two years. So I no longer ask how much longer. I'll be done when I'm done. We are "fine-tuning" now. I may eat nothing BUT popcorn for a few days to celebrate the removal day!!!

As for pain, it does get better. Your mouth never feels "normal" but you get used to how it does feel and don't notice it so much. I've been very careful what I eat........ I've rarely had anything break. My diet is pretty decent and there's not any problem eating enough variety of foods to feel healthy. There are always a few days after an appointment when it hurts again, but it goes away. (Was in this morning - am eating soft foods tonight, but I expect by tomorrow, it will be much better.)

Even tho' it has taken this long - and is yet to end - I have NO regrets. Before braces, there was never a photo of me smiling with my mouth open. I refused to do it. I HATED the way my teeth looked. Now, even with the braces in, I smile, teeth showing, braces flashing silver, and am fine with it. Very much worth it.

Oh yeah ---- I like the "forced" diet part of it, too! Lost some unwanted pounds. Now to keep them off if the braces ever actually come out.

annie

[fixedgeargirl]

It's been a long time since I had braces, but the four years I spent in them are firmly burned into my brain. (Yes, four years, largely due to a lack of "patient compliance". Like a self-conscious 14 year old girl is going to wear headgear to school!) I remember the pain after a tightening. It does subside. Did they give you the beeswax stuff to put on the bands where they rub the inside of cheeks? It does behoove you to let some callouses build up at the contact points, but sometimes enough is enough and you can use the wax to smooth things out.

It does get better!!!

[DirtDiva]

Ack! Headgear! Thank goodness I only had to wear it at night! I totally cheered when the orodontist told me I didn't have to wear it anymore. It's been, hmmm, eleven years since I got my braces off and I still have scar tissue on the inside of my cheeks where the bits the headgear slotted into rubbed. As for the food groups, I ate them all and just got real good at sucking bits out of my braces afterward (a habit that took quite some time to break once the hardware had been removed).

[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.