If you have recently worn braces or have been tightened recently, you are likely to experience a lot of pain during the first few days. The suffering tends to fade after a few days, but in the meantime it is essential to choose wisely what to eat. Hard or sticky foods can damage the device and cause additional pain in the days following its application or adjustment. Learn what and how to eat to adapt to the new or recently tightened appliance.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Choose soft foods
When wearing the appliance, soft, non-sticky foods are best. Not only do they not damage the device, but they do not cause pain in the already aching teeth. You can still eat some foods, such as hard vegetables, as long as they are steamed, so they are tender and easy to bite. Here are some that you can eat with braces without causing discomfort:
- Soft cheeses;
- Yogurt;
- Soups;
- Non-fibrous meat, cooked until tender and boneless (chicken, turkey, meatballs, cured meats);
- Soft fish without bones (fillets, crab croquettes);
- Well done pasta;
- Boiled or mashed potatoes;
- Soft cooked rice;
- Egg;
- Well cooked legumes;
- Soft bread without a crust;
- Soft wraps;
- Soft pancakes;
- Soft baked goods such as muffins and donuts
- Pudding;
- Apple puree;
- Bananas;
- Smoothies, ice cream or milkshakes;
- Jellies.
Step 2. Avoid hard foods
They can break the appliance and cause moderate or severe pain in the days following application or adjustment. Do not eat anything that is hard or crunchy, especially after a visit to the orthodontist. Below is a list of the most common foods that you shouldn't eat, but there are others:
- Dried fruit of any kind;
- Muesli;
- Popcorn;
- Ice;
- Hard bread with crust;
- Bagel;
- Pizza crust;
- Potato chips (potato and corn);
- Hard tacos;
- Raw carrots (unless finely grated);
- Apples (unless finely sliced);
- Corn munched from the cob (you can only eat the grains previously removed).
Step 3. Eliminate sticky foods from your diet
These are harmful to the appliance and can cause intense pain when you try to chew them. Candy and gum are the worst and you should never eat them when you have braces. Here are some of the sticky foods you need to avoid:
- Chewing gum of any kind;
- Licorice;
- Toffee;
- Caramel;
- Fruit joy candies
- MOU candy;
- Chocolate;
- Cheese.
Part 2 of 4: Changing the way you eat
Step 1. Cut the food into small bites
One of the biggest risks of breaking the appliance is the way you eat. If you chew your food as you always have, you could break the brackets or detach them from your teeth. One way to prevent this from happening is to cut the food into small pieces. This way, you can constantly manage the pressure that your teeth have to exert.
- Use a knife to remove the kernels from the cob. Corn is soft enough to be enjoyed safely, but munching it directly off the cob could damage the appliance and harm yourself.
- Finely slice the apples before eating them. Just like corn, if you bite into the core you may experience intense pain or break the device.
- Even when you eat safe foods, you should always remember to cut them into small bites; by doing so, you manage pain and protect your teeth.
Step 2. Chew with the molars
Most people don't pay much attention to which teeth they use to bite and chew food. However, as soon as your braces are applied or tightened, you realize that your teeth are extremely sensitive. If you chew with the molars, which are larger and more suitable for this purpose, you can reduce the pain you feel in the incisors and canines.
- Avoid tearing or tearing food with your front teeth while chewing. This is another reason why it is better to cut food into small pieces.
- Physically placing food in the back of the mouth (but away from the throat to avoid choking) is also helpful.
- If you are not used to carrying the fork so back in your mouth or you are afraid of biting the cutlery, take the bites with your fingers and bring them gently over the molars.
Step 3. Eat slowly
Even if you are very hungry, especially if your teeth hurt too much on the first day to allow you to eat, it is essential to proceed calmly. If you eat too fast, you increase the risk of biting into seeds, stones or bones.
Drink plenty of water with your meal. This way, you can swallow more easily if you have been having difficulty with chewing. The water also rinses the mouth of any food residue that may be stuck in the stirrups
Part 3 of 4: Managing the Pain
Step 1. Rinse with a saline solution
Your teeth, gums, lips, tongue and cheeks may be sore for several days after inserting or adjusting the appliance. This is a completely normal phenomenon and you can handle it in several ways. The simplest solution to reduce inflammation of the oral cavity is to rinse with salt water.
- Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in 240ml of clean, warm water. Make sure it's not hot, or you run the risk of burning your mouth.
- Stir the solution until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Rinse your mouth with salt water as often as you need to during the day, especially in the first week after applying or adjusting the appliance. Spit out the solution after washing.
Step 2. Use dental wax on sharp cords
Many people who wear braces complain of pain in the lips, cheeks and tongue due to friction with the metal of the stirrups. Others, on the other hand, have to manage some pointed or sharp threads that come off from time to time. Both of these situations are quite normal and the best way to deal with the pain they cause is to apply dental wax to the brackets or wires. Wax is a very useful tool during the period when the mouth has to adapt to the presence of a new appliance or as a temporary solution until the orthodontist can receive you to repair the threads. However, if a stapes have broken or a thread pricks your mucous membranes, you should call your doctor right away to have the problem fixed as soon as possible.
- Use dental wax only on the appliance. Ask your orthodontist to provide you with some to use at home or buy it at the pharmacy.
- If you keep applying the wax and it continues to fall out, ask your orthodontist to heat a small amount of gutta-percha and apply it to the critical spot. It will cool after about 40 seconds and stay in place for a longer period of time than regular wax.
Step 3. Take medication
If you are in a lot of pain after applying or adjusting the device, it is worth taking medicine to control the pain. You can buy regular over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, which are perfect for these situations.
Do not give aspirin to a child or teenager, as it has been associated with Reye's syndrome, a life-threatening disease that occurs in young individuals
Part 4 of 4: Taking Care of Your Teeth
Step 1. Use floss regularly
Although it is a difficult operation with the appliance, know that it is even more important. In fact, food gets trapped between the teeth and around the brackets causing pain and increasing the risk of infections. Some products, such as passing needles, can make it easier for you to clean both the interdental spaces and the areas surrounding the brackets and bars.
- Try to run the wire under the wire rope and then over it for each segment joining the brackets.
- Bend the wire into a C shape to wrap around each tooth and remove any residue.
Step 2. Brush your teeth after each meal
This is a crucial step in oral hygiene even when you have braces and is very useful when it has just been applied to you or tightened. Stuck food residue can cause pain on sensitive teeth and gums, but the action of the toothbrush allows you to get rid of it.
- Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush to reduce discomfort during the operation, as the teeth and gums are painful.
- Use a pipe cleaner to clean the areas between the wires and the brackets.
- Brush in the direction of the tongue to make sure all traces of food are removed. This means that you need to brush down when you take care of the upper arch and up when you wash the lower one.
- Do not rush. Spend two to three minutes on each wash to make sure you clean all surfaces of each tooth.
- You may also need to repeat brushing and rinsing more often than usual. Remember, your plaque is now spread over a larger area (your teeth and braces).
Step 3. Apply the rubber bands as you were taught by the orthodontist
These are often recommended to correct misalignment between the teeth. The brackets and metal cables are used to straighten the teeth, but in cases of malocclusion (overbite or mandibular prognathism) the orthodontist may also decide to use special rubber bands. These must be wrapped around a hook applied to two paired brackets (usually one on the front teeth and one on the back teeth, both on the upper and lower arches of each side).
- The rubber bands should be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the orthodontist gives different instructions.
- You should only take them off when you eat or brush your teeth and keep them for the rest of the time, including at night.
- Although it may be tempting not to wear the rubber bands for a few days after fitting the braces, it is best for your teeth that you strictly follow your doctor's instructions.
Step 4. Introduce yourself to all follow-up appointments
The orthodontist will schedule a series of checkups in which he will tighten the appliance. It is essential to follow this protocol to make sure that the appliance does its job at its best and that your teeth are in perfect health. If you do not tighten the device, the treatment times will increase and you will have to wear the device longer. You should also visit your dentist regularly every six months to check your oral health and make sure your teeth are strong.
Advice
- Bite into soft foods with your incisors or use your molars.
- When you go to checkups and braces tightening, smear lip balm on your lips to prevent them from drying out or cracking.
- Don't eat the foods your orthodontist told you to avoid. He is a professional and knows what is best for your appliance. This way you don't break the device and you won't have to wear it for a longer time.
- If you feel pain, don't irritate the area further. If you constantly touch your gums, teeth and braces, you only make it worse.
- Don't keep eating painful foods from the first bite.
- Avoid sodas, as most of them are very acidic and sugary. They can corrode teeth and braces, as well as leave white spots; moreover, drinking too much of it causes tooth decay.
- Try not to put your upper and lower arches in contact at first, as this may cause pain.
- If you are in a lot of pain but are hungry, drink a smoothie or milkshake cold. Low temperatures relieve pain and smoothie soothes hunger pangs.
- Chew on the side of your mouth that isn't under a lot of stress.
- Do not touch the appliance continuously. The threads can break easily and, as a result, the treatment may take longer.
Warnings
- Do not play with the appliance. Although it has a very strong appearance, in reality the threads it is made of are very fragile and can be easily bent or broken. Repairing an appliance is expensive and could extend treatment times.
- The appliance is a custom-made tool, it can be damaged by hard foods (such as tacos, chips, apples, bagels) and sticky ones. These can loosen or even move the tie rods completely. Avoid nibbling on inedible items which can bend the threads and cause pain.
