Eating after braces

[Torrylee]

Hi Samlet

With my DD the first appointment was just a short 5 minutes one to put little elastic band things round a couple of her teeth. I found this explanation online:

Sometimes small blue elastic rings called ‘separators’ are fitted between your back teeth a few days before your brace is fitted. This is to enable the fitting of ‘bands’ around the molar teeth. Bands are like rings that fit around the back teeth. Not everybody needs to have bands as part of their fixed brace.

And then the appointment a week later was longer, to actually fit the brace. Might be why you have two appointments?

[Snowdrops]

My dd's had her braces about a year now

She's had her lower teeth pulled into place and two teeth removed from upper, plus braces on upper.

She hasn't suffered too badly. A paracetamol after tightening is sometimes requested, but mostly she gets along by chewing on a toothbrush if they become a bit achy (I think it's become more of a comfort thing than anything now).

As for food. Yep, cut up the aple, carrot etc small no problems there. She's eaten pretty much what she wanted to whenever she wanted to. The only problem she had was eating steak one time, just after they'd been tightened. The next time we had steak she was fine though.

Another six months and she'll be finished She looks fantastic already, and we know the final outcome will be wonderful - so very different from how her teeth were, and very well worth going through (even she says that!).

[Samlet]

Thanks Torrylee, I think you may be right!

I was a bit confused, as we actually have three appointments (presumably the third is a check-up/adjustments as it is a month later), and the consultant went through what they were all for quite quickly, but what you've said rings bells and also makes sense.

He is having an appliance which involves train tracks and a sort of spring like a hinge from the top teeth to the bottom, so I think it might need these bands as a foundation. It is called a Forsus appliance and avoids the need to remove teeth (which both I and my DH had to have done) by persuading the bottom jaw to grow forward a bit to make more room. Apparently it is much used in the US and Germany, but is fairly new here.

[Halemum]

I still remember my braces many moons ago. I had them on for nearly 3 years! I would get them tightened every 6 weeks and they would hurt for the first 36 hours or so but I would still eat whatever I wanted. Never ever took any tablets. I couldn't bite into apples or bite on hard sweets.

Ideas for food for the first few days:

Scrambled eggs
Baked beans
Vegetable curry with rice
Pasta
Soup
Yoghurt
Cottage pie
Chilli and jacket potato

Oh, those were the days.....

[Looking for help]

My daughter has braces just now, she has found the tightening extremely painful, and is only able to have soup for a couple of days after each visit. Fortunately now we are on the final stretch. She got some bands fitted which pull the top and the bottom together, and this has been the most painful of all This to correct the overbite. I am concerned however that this is the bit that will change the shape of her jaw, and worried that it is not necessary I'm hoping it's all going to be finished with soon. We can see that the teeth are straight, although I do have it on good advice that removing the braces too soon can allow the teeth to return to their original positions, so not totally sure about it all

[Samlet]

Update - DS had the third appointment on Tuesday which involved fitting the blocks on his teeth, wire in between and some sort of blocks of glue on his back teeth.

He was in a lot of pain Tuesday and yesterday which seems to be a bit better today. He is not able to chew at all so only managing soup/yoghurt etc. He reckons the problems with chewing are to do with the blocks of glue.

The thing I'm wondering about is how these blocks of glue stay there and will he learn to chew with them there in the meantime, as a constant liquidised diet will get us all down I feel sure.

Anyone got experience of this please?

[sp]

I think the blocks of "glue" are in fact there to keep teeth slightly ajar thus preventing some of the rubbing/pain. At least that's what DD told me, her blobs are blue and have been there for months. Most of her friends have braces and they have experienced most of the additional things between them!
Sounds like your DS is having a tough time of it though. DD became obsessed with M & S lasagna but it had to be microwaved so it was soggy!! Needless to say we didn't join her! If the pain persists for more than a few days I'd call the orthodontist.

[Samlet]

months

[moved]

We liquidised food for the first week, no carrots or apples still, but normal food generally.

[scary mum]

DS was in a lot of pain for 2 days and ate soup. Now (3 months on, a couple of tightening ups) he can eat anything with no trouble, including apples etc. Seems to be getting off a lot more lightly than DD did. Aren't the coloured blobs the elastic bands that the wires are attached to? DS has a different colour each time.