Braces!

[Ammer]

Foods may hurt now that won't hurt once you've adjusted to braces. I know my teeth were all kinds of weird when I first got my herbst appliance, though I don't remember about braces.

Oh, so does that mean pizza isn't completely out of the picture?

And as an added side, what about cereal?

Very few foods are completely out of the picture. Some of them may simply be harder to handle. Pizza might be trouble until you learn how to manage gooey cheese. And cereal is usually pretty easy since you just chew it up with your back teeth and don't have to bite it apart with your front teeth.

Ah, I see. But I suppose I'll just have to do some extra brushing when I eat any type of pizza.

And Katherine, I already eat pizza with a knife and fork (at times, not all the time).

Just a general question, obviously I have to brush after I eat food or anything, but is toothpaste necessary? I just want to know because when I'm at work or school, it may difficult to actually use it without looking homeless.

I had braces for two years. Don't eat highly coloured foods and if you do, make sure you brush STRAIGHT after. I love Indian food and I'd have a curry and fall asleep after. It stained my braces so bad, they looked awful.

Ah, I see, so I guess after something like Indian food or anything similar, I'd have to brush it with toothpaste to get rid of the staining?

And what about soda pop, can I drink that with a straw or will it still stain?

[Katherine]

I don't brush after every meal, but if I do I don't use toothpaste. I think that using toothpaste whenever you did before is fine. As for pop, I don't know about that becasue I don't drink it.

[Lee]

Ah braces. Mine come off in December. I've had a particular hard time because if my brass instruments.

Anyways try to avoid wax when you can. Yes wax helps alot, (let me survive band camp) but without it you can build up the blisters on the inside of your mouth.

[Regan]

Hmm, braces. Is it weird that I'm jealous? I've always wanted braces. They look cool.
My friends who had braces just stayed away from any foods that stain. They didn't want patchy teeth when the braces came off.

[Ange]

Heh, I had braces for a LONG time. Then they were taken off, and I had to get them put back on (by another orthodontist, much better) for another year and a half.

First off, do NOT get the ceramic brackets! I had normal metal ones the first time around, and those pop off fine when you get the braces removed. Getting the ceramic ones (top only, thank goodness, the bottoms have to be metal) left me in tears, and I have a pretty good threshold for pain. They kept shattering when they tried to get them off, then they had to use this weird scrape-y tool to get the shards off my teeth. The amount of pressure the used to do that...killed me. Just get the clear ties (the plastic bits that keep the wire in place) and you'll be fine if you're looking for a minimal appearance, hehe.

As for foods not to eat...no gum, not too many sweets and sugary candy, no crunchy fruits and veggies unless they are in bite sizes pieces or cut up. Definitely no corn on the cob. I tried, and it takes forever to clean out your braces, in addition to the fact you can bend your wires. Try to stay away from dense starches like bagels, unless you tear off pieces them pop them into your mouth. Nothing's more annoying than having a piece of sticky starch stuck in your front brackets!

Did your ortho give you a toothbrush? Mine gave me a special toothbrush which is just like any other soft-bristled toothbrush, but had a small short piece that looked like a pipe cleaner at the other end. It's just the right size to get between your brackets. If they didn't give you one, you should be able to find one somewhere. Can't live without it.

Also...can't live without flosser threaders! Once again, my ortho gave me these. It basically makes threading the floss between brackets much easier. Instead of it being like trying to thread a needle blindly, it's more like using that cool tool that threads needles easier. Except you're flossing, lol. I was given blue threaders, so I could actually see what I was doing. You can probably buy these somewhere too.

I only ever had a bracket pop off once, and the tie kept it attached to the wire. It's no big deal...you just call the ortho and they replace it.

I've ingested so many spacers/ties that I know those are no big deal if they come off either. Just call the doc and let them know.

I was told I couldn't eat potato chips, but did anyways. XD

So uh...I think I covered everything I remember, but if you have any more questions let me know. I'm practically an expert (see novel above), heh.

[Ammer]

First off, do NOT get the ceramic brackets! I had normal metal ones the first time around, and those pop off fine when you get the braces removed. Getting the ceramic ones (top only, thank goodness, the bottoms have to be metal) left me in tears, and I have a pretty good threshold for pain. They kept shattering when they tried to get them off, then they had to use this weird scrape-y tool to get the shards off my teeth. The amount of pressure the used to do that...killed me. Just get the clear ties (the plastic bits that keep the wire in place) and you'll be fine if you're looking for a minimal appearance, hehe.

I don't know if they're ceramic, but they are clear on the top. However, on the sides of my top teeth, I have metal braces. If that makes any sense?

My friends who had braces just stayed away from any foods that stain. They didn't want patchy teeth when the braces came off.

That's what I'm confused about. How do I know what foods stain? And shouldn't brushing right after and flossing at night get rid of any potential stain?

Oh, and one more question, is rice okay to eat?

Thanks again for the help guys I really appreciate it!

[Mongrel]

My friends who had braces just stayed away from any foods that stain. They didn't want patchy teeth when the braces came off.

That's what I'm confused about. How do I know what foods stain? And shouldn't brushing right after and flossing at night get rid of any potential stain?

There are spots that are very hard to reach on braces, and the effect is a gradual buildup of stains(in the case of coloring), or a gradual wearing-away of tooth enamel(in the case of sugar). The edibles to avoid usually have lots of unnatural coloring to them--for instance, dark soft drinks. I just checked my Diet Coke can, and "caramel color" is the second ingredient, even before the sweetener.

[Shoyru_Lover]

Who would have thought that a thread about braces would illicit so many passionate responses?

[Ammer]

My friends who had braces just stayed away from any foods that stain. They didn't want patchy teeth when the braces came off.

That's what I'm confused about. How do I know what foods stain? And shouldn't brushing right after and flossing at night get rid of any potential stain?

There are spots that are very hard to reach on braces, and the effect is a gradual buildup of stains(in the case of coloring), or a gradual wearing-away of tooth enamel(in the case of sugar). The edibles to avoid usually have lots of unnatural coloring to them--for instance, dark soft drinks. I just checked my Diet Coke can, and "caramel color" is the second ingredient, even before the sweetener.

Well, I do drink soft drinks but I figured if I drank them with a straw, the liquid would just flow to the back of my mouth and than down my throat i.e. it wouldn't touch my teeth.

Is that a reasonable strategy?

[May]

Well, I do drink soft drinks but I figured if I drank them with a straw, the liquid would just flow to the back of my mouth and than down my throat i.e. it wouldn't touch my teeth.

Is that a reasonable strategy?

I believe that you're supposed to drink sodas with a straw all the time so your teeth don't get stained. I try to use a straw most of the time when I have soda for that reason.

[Ammer]

Well, I do drink soft drinks but I figured if I drank them with a straw, the liquid would just flow to the back of my mouth and than down my throat i.e. it wouldn't touch my teeth.

Is that a reasonable strategy?

I believe that you're supposed to drink sodas with a straw all the time so your teeth don't get stained. I try to use a straw most of the time when I have soda for that reason.

That's true, I did do that for a while but you can't always have access to a straw.

[Kiyone]

I had braces for two years.

I remember the first month being a complete nightmare; I wasn't able to eat ANYTHING without hurting my mouth. Being stuck with porridge day and night sucked.

[Ammer]

I had braces for two years.

I remember the first month being a complete nightmare; I wasn't able to eat ANYTHING without hurting my mouth. Being stuck with porridge day and night sucked.

Did you experience any pain, as in pressure wise?

Because whenever I apply pressure to one of my front teeth, it hurts a lot. I don't know how to get rid of the pain.

[Twinkle]

Welcome to the world of braces Ammer. Sadly, the pain will only get worse from this point onwards. My tip is, painkillers. Lots and lots of painkillers. Soft foods only for the first two days.

[Katherine]

Welcome to the world of braces Ammer. Sadly, the pain will only get worse from this point onwards. My tip is, painkillers. Lots and lots of painkillers. Soft foods only for the first two days.

QFT.(Quoted for truth)