My dd has had her braces in for 3 days and her mouth is incredibly sore. She needs ideas for easy foods to eat. She's living on sorbet, ice cream, smoothies, lo mein & baked potatoes. She's frustrated that she can't really eat meat. She says she can't even eat spaghetti. She had a hard time eating w/ the separators in, as well, so she hasn't had much in about 2 wks. I need ideas, mamas! Also, for those of you who've been thru this, about how long does it take to get as bad as it's gonna get & then start getting better? My sweet 14 y.o. is in tears.
Hello M.,
I suggest you get her protein shakes that will help with the hunger. seems like all she's eating is carbs and not enough protein. I hope the pain goes away soon. Hang in there! ~C.~
I had braces at her age, and I remember all too well how badly it hurt when you first got them. It took probably a week before I could really eat again. I just remember any pressure on my teeth hurt so badly it did bring you to tears. She'll experience some of that too every time she gets them tightened, but only for a day or so. Never like when you first get them on. I remember they gave me wax too to put on them. It took a while to get used to the metal poking the inside of my mouth, and sometimes a little wax would smoothen it out. My mom would use ora-gel (sp? - the stuff used for teething babies) for that too. Some other ideas of what to eat - jello, pudding, applesauce, oatmeal, soup, mashed potatoes, maybe cream corn. Basically anything you could eat without using your teeth. Poor girl. I remember oh so well!!!!! It will pass!!!
For sure give her some tylenol for the pain--I don't ever give tylenol but found it a much after first few days of braces, separators, etc.
I'd also try fruit smoothies with peanut butter, yogurt and protein powder. The protein will keep her full.
You could also try some soup with meat in it. Very small pieces will be soft for her.
Good luck--it gets better after the initial week but always tough after the 'tightening' days!
My dd is 10 and has had her braces on for about 6 mths now. For the first month or so she lived off of apple sause, fruit cups, jell-o, and chicken noodle soup. I even sent this to school for her lunches. I gave her tylenol all the time and she used numbing mouth wash alot to help with the pain and swelling of the gums. After having them on a couple of mths it wasn't so bad for her anymore. Now, after appts. she waits the time she needs to wait and will just jump into eating whatever. My dd had spacers at first too and for her that was the worst. I think it's down hill for her now. At this point it has alot to do with who is working on her when she goes in for her ortho appts. Some techs are more gentle than others.
Hope your dd is feeling better soon.
Oh poor thing. I had braces (the old train track ones) when I was young and HATED the whole time I had them (for 4 years). It seems like they hurt all the time. And when the pain did ease up they would tighten them again! I can remember taking out the spacers with a safety pin so I could eat lunch one time before they even put the braces on!I can remember them telling me all the yummy soft foods to eat but I was just mad and tired of feeling the ache. Sorry that I can't offer much help but for some empathy. I remember eating alot of ramen noodles. My mom would really dress them up with chopped up meat, boiled eggs, white rice and whatever else she had on hand. I think that in time she could become accustomed to the discomfort but in my case I never did and suffered. Some people just simply tolerate pain better than others. I hope she is one of them once the "newness" wears off.
Best Regards,
C.
I was about 24 when I got my braces and I do believe I lost 10 of my 110# at the time.
They HURT. Encourage a lot of water, anyting liquid and gradually.... OH SO gradually......things will come around and it will get better.
I remember dreaming of the day to actually bite into a sandwich. They are a lot of work, pain and $$$ but worth it.
Maybe some Tylenol? Good luck
There is really nothing else to do when they first get put on and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there is also that same amount of pain when they get adjusted. When I had them I lived off of smashed broccoli (cook frozen broccoli really soft and then smash it up with butter and/or cheese), mashed potatoes, yogurts, puddings, canned oranges, bananas, pasta. I tried to eat anything my family was eating I just tried to smash it first. I reccomend alot of ibuprofen and sucking on popsicles and ice to help ease the pain. Hope she feels better, it does get easier to deal with the longer they are on she will find what works for her.
My daughter didn't have any problems, but my son...my gosh!! We really had a tough time. Here is what we did: pizza rolls, pizza slices (the double crust type already sliced into wedges...the dough is very soft), chicken nuggets, french fries, soup, pork/beef barbecue (already prepared in the tubs). He could not tolerate toast or anything similar to that. We also cut everything into very tiny pieces so that the chewing was less intense! He also used a lot of dips and sauces as it softened the food. I cooked alot of roast beef in liquids in the crock pot (it comes out so tender) and served with gravy and mashed potatoes. He did lose some weight in the beginning and he was super skinny to begin with. He took tylenol (500mg) right when he left the ortho's office. Oh, we also did a lot of milkshakes, fruit shakes (homemade), soft ice cream. Good luck!
