Mommy22alyns Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 My older daughter is getting braces in less than a week. Any tips from experienced parents? How long did they eat soft foods? What can and can't they eat? I'm looking at candy for her Christmas stocking and have no clue what is still okay and what's not, aside from the obvious, like no caramel. Any little things that will make her life easier? I have been told to give her some Tylenol beforehand. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 My ds ate mashed potatoes for two days, then added eggs and Mac and cheese. On day four he was starving, so he ate a cheeseburger and was fine. (I kept him on Motrin for two days.) He uses disposable picks and a water pick after he brushes. He is obsessed with clean teeth, so I never even ask him if he's brushing. (He is so obsessed that his toothbrush has an app for his phone.) My ds can chew sugar free gum. He pretty much eats anything except caramel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Soup, smoothies and rice pudding for a few days until the pain subsides. That will probably be the case each time you go back to get them tightened. Then you have to avoid hard things for the whole time the braces are on, like biting into apples, carrots sticks, hard candy, that kind of thing. We stuck to chocolate rather than other sweets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Soniccare...get one of them if she doesn't already have one. The dentist gave her a tiny-tree brush and pretty much insisted on the sonicare toothbrush. Also have a portable toothbrush and supplies for times she is out and needs to brush. Pretty much all sticky foods are out, no popcorn; actually the list is pretty long. Your ortho will give you a big-old list to post of the refrigerator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 After gotten two through this period of life, I have to say that it varies. Sorry! Both had a tough time after installation, and then at multiple points when they did "big" steps. Sometimes the adjustments were pretty rough, and sometimes they were just achy for a few days. It's hard to predict just what it will be like. We tried to time things so that they always had a week after an appointment before a big event like Christmas or a birthday so that they could enjoy it. One of mine liked mashed potatoes and applesauce. The other liked pudding and smoothies. Nothing sticky or hard in the Christmas candy. Mine have always loved peanut butter cups, so they got a lot of those during that period for holidays. Then they both got their wisdom teeth out, and that was similar. Liquid diet, then soft, and then gradually recovering. So glad we're done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 If your child doesn't tolerate pain well, ask for a prescription for something stronger. My son does well with tylenol with codeine. He has zero pain tolerance. If the ortho won't prescribe it (we had one that would and one that wouldn't) then talk to your pediatrician if you feel you child is unnecessarily suffering. Favorite smoothies in our house was frozen bananas, chocolate milk and peanut butter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Dd15 is about 4 months in. Interestingly she found the spacers (little elastics they squished between her back teeth the week before the braces were put on) FAR more painful than the actual braces. Neither the braces nor the new wires have caused as much discomfort for as long. It would have been very helpful to know that. Plan on soups, yoghurts, blended fruits etc, although apart from the spacers that was only necessary for a day or two. Using painkillers upfront is a good idea I think, although we haven't. Dd was a bit anxious about 'getting it right' and there were some (uncharacteristic) tears the first night about brushing and flossing. They (rightly) put great emphasis on dental hygiene but with a 'good kid' this means a lot of pressure! I had to really talk her into the idea that even if she didn't brush or floss at all for the first week her teeth wouldn't all spontaneously fall out. She did brush, of course, but everything hurt, and it took so long to floss and felt so awkward. She sticks mostly to chocolate, but hasn't has a problem with smaller hard candy or M&MS - large hard candy is awkward and chewy or sticky stuff is out. All in all braces have been much, much easier than we anticipated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Oh, and ban siblings from making snarky comments about said braces under pain of loss of all Christmas gifts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Neither of ours ever had to stick with soft foods. Getting their braces on (or adjusted) might have required some ibuprofen, but that was the extent of it. I highly recommend a Water Pik. Overall dealing with braces hasn't been anywhere near a big deal here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Not a huge deal here either. Youngest actually had avocado eggrolls right after having them put on. Neither of mine had to change their diet much either. They still ate popcorn, carrot sticks, candy (even caramel), etc. I did give them ibuprofen before having them put on and sometimes they would need it after an adjustment. Definitely get a Sonicare brush and a water pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Mine always went with soft food the day they got the braces on and the dinner after an adjustment. That was all. Ds has had his braces for over 3 long years. Dd's were on for about 18 mos. My best advice is a water pick. Both of my kids used the water pick instead of flossing while they had braces and it was a very, very good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 (edited) Braces weren't a big deal for my oldest when she got them at 8. We went with the Damon style so no tightening either. DH and I both went through significant orthodontics as teens and were jealous! I personally only had soreness that needed Advil and soft foods when I had a torture device appliance installed. The Sonicare toothbrush is a good idea. Fuzzy tooth pick things sold near the floss are good too if you don't have a WaterPik. Wax (orthodontist should have if you ask) for covering rough spots will be handy too. Edited December 13, 2015 by zoobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Soniccare...get one of them if she doesn't already have one. The dentist gave her a tiny-tree brush and pretty much insisted on the sonicare toothbrush. Also have a portable toothbrush and supplies for times she is out and needs to brush. Pretty much all sticky foods are out, no popcorn; actually the list is pretty long. Your ortho will give you a big-old list to post of the refrigerator. :iagree: Also, call your dentist before you buy it. They frequently have coupons in their office for $10-$20 off of one. There is one at Walmart for $40. You don't have to spend a fortune. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Oh, and ban siblings from making snarky comments about said braces under pain of loss of all Christmas gifts! Unless the kid getting braces has a good sense of humor about it. If that's the case, you hold a contest to see who can come up with the most creative version of "metal mouth" (but seriously, only if the kid can take it in fun). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 I personally had braces and don't remember having any problems other than occasional soreness remedied by a dose or two of Advil. My daughter, however, had a really rough start. My advice is to call the orthodontist if your child is struggling. We went back in after about 4 days of her being miserable, hurting and able to eat very little. Her cheeks were getting infected from the little cuts from the braces. They trimmed a wire, adding some rubber bands around some spots that were bothering her, and prescribed some antibiotics. She immediately felt some better and was feeling fine and eating normally by about 10 days after braces application. This was the beginning of September, and she hasn't had any issues since then, even with adjustments. Cleaning has been a bit of a learning curve, but the office taught her and showed me which areas weren't getting clean enough. Now she is comfortable with the cleaning routine and takes care of it. Initially, I helped her with flossing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Dd has had her upper set for about a month now. I was prepping her for pain (I had braces at her age) and she's been fine. She only has brackets on her upper teeth, no bands on any molars. That might make a difference. I highly doubt we'll have the same reaction once her lower set goes on. She requires an oral surgery to set small chains to pull up her impacted molars. Once on, she'll be getting brackets on the back side of her teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Keeping the teeth clean can be a challenge if you have a son (like mine) who wouldn't ever brush his teeth again if I didn't remind him every single night. (When do they start taking care of themselves? Wheeeeen? Whiiiiine!) He uses a tiny little brush-thing that the orthodontist gave to him. It goes up under the wires. He uses floss. He has to thread the floss through the metal bar across his teeth, tooth by tooth, so that he can get to his gums. Waterpick. Regular toothbrush. Alcohol free mouthwash. He's slow and it takes him about 30 minutes to get ready for bed now. But...he's slow. I think he's in the bathroom admiring himself in the mirror for most of that time. Even with all that care, the orthodontist says he's not doing a very good job keeping up with his teeth/gums. Ugh. I'm not sure how many more times I can stand giving the speech about not just standing there with the toothbrush in his mouth sucking on it. I tell him, "Gently massage each tooth for a few seconds. It should take 2 minutes of constant massage to brush your teeth." But I still catch him just standing there with the toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. But at 13, it's not like I can go in there and floss/brush his teeth for him anymore. (WHEN do they start taking care of themselves???? Whiiiiine!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Keeping the teeth clean can be a challenge if you have a son (like mine) who wouldn't ever brush his teeth again if I didn't remind him every single night. (When do they start taking care of themselves? Wheeeeen? Whiiiiine!) He uses a tiny little brush-thing that the orthodontist gave to him. It goes up under the wires. He uses floss. He has to thread the floss through the metal bar across his teeth, tooth by tooth, so that he can get to his gums. Waterpick. Regular toothbrush. Alcohol free mouthwash. He's slow and it takes him about 30 minutes to get ready for bed now. But...he's slow. I think he's in the bathroom admiring himself in the mirror for most of that time. Even with all that care, the orthodontist says he's not doing a very good job keeping up with his teeth/gums. Ugh. I'm not sure how many more times I can stand giving the speech about not just standing there with the toothbrush in his mouth sucking on it. I tell him, "Gently massage each tooth for a few seconds. It should take 2 minutes of constant massage to brush your teeth." But I still catch him just standing there with the toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. But at 13, it's not like I can go in there and floss/brush his teeth for him anymore. (WHEN do they start taking care of themselves???? Whiiiiine!) I have my daughter come show me her teeth. When all her brackets are shiny, I can tell she's doing a pretty good job, plus I double check problem areas the ortho pointed out. Has he rejected your help? It had been a long time since my 12 year old dd had needed help with personal care, but she did with her braces cleaning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 (edited) I have my daughter come show me her teeth. When all her brackets are shiny, I can tell she's doing a pretty good job, plus I double check problem areas the ortho pointed out. Has he rejected your help? It had been a long time since my 12 year old dd had needed help with personal care, but she did with her braces cleaning.He hasn't completely rejected my help. I could do a check after he brushes. My son has never once in his 13 years ever initiated a shower. I've let him go for up to 6 days to see if he'd realize he's filthy and he never notices. I have to tell him every single time, "Take a shower," and he does it grudgingly. I have to tell him every night, "Brush your teeth," or he wouldn't. He does wash hands after the bathroom. :) So there's hope yet. Really, it's the just the bathing and teeth brushing. He's about 50/50 for remembering to brush his hair. I know I'm not the only one because I've heard other mothers lament how their boys don't brush teeth, etc, without reminders. But since I was a kid who took care of myself pretty young without prompting, it's been bizarre to me to have to tell him to do the basic self-care. He's a good kid otherwise. Just a little stinky sometimes... ;) Edited December 13, 2015 by Garga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Each step (spacers, palatal expander, braces, springs, oral surgery, rubber bands) has been rough. We don't usually bother with soft foods, but she's usually in pain for a day or two and annoyed. She pretty much eats whatever she wants, (except taffy and caramel). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 DD#1 just got her braces off after just over two years. I guess I was either a really mean mom or she didn't have a bunch of trouble. We did ibuprofen (or Tylenol) on the day they went on and the day & day after an adjustment plus on demand any other time. (She actually found that her teeth hurt after the braces came off. Weird stuff.) We gave her a milk shake for lunch on the day they went on, but that was about all the diet adjustments we made. She figured out what worked & what didn't. She's sensitive to carrots (something related to her environmental allergies, I guess), so she never eats those. We bought one of those apple slicers so she could have cut-up apples whenever she wanted. She continued to have popcorn. That wasn't on the 'bad' list we got. She never had any type of gum or hard caramel. But Snickers were ok, it seemed. I agree on the Waterpik, although dd pretty much stopped using hers & went back to 100% flossing every night. It took her a solid 30 minutes for all her oral care once she got used to it. It took 30 minutes just to floss at the beginning. The ortho gave her some of those little red pills to show where she needed to pay more attention. She'd use one of those every week or two to see where she'd miss. She'd take an hour on those nights because she pretty much would do everything twice. Killer. Her skin care went to nil during her braces tenure. She just didn't have the energy to devote time to both washing & taking care of her face AND her teeth. Hoping to get her back into the groove now that she doesn't have all the time suck of taking care of the braces. (And it took several days to get used to the retainers. Oy. She didn't like them at all and still doesn't. She actually said she prefers the braces to the retainers.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 Thanks for everything so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Just something we did. I took my kids to the dentist every 4 months to get their teeth cleaned instead of every 6 months. That meant we had to pay for one cleaning since our insurance only pays for two, but it was worth it. My dd manages to eat stuff she's not supposed to eat like starbursts and popcorn. She's also popped three brackets. Our ortho allows 3 popped brackets and then starts charging for them. She understood that money would come out of her allowance so I left her to do what she wanted. She always needed tylenol when she got her braces adjusted and she has the damon system. She was having an impacted tooth brought down so they did some fancy metal work. Our regular dentist was fascinated. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 My daughter had little to no pain and no trouble eating regular food right away. For the year dd ate pretty much anything except big hard pretzels and gum we only lost one bracket. The water pik was the best thing ever that along with the little brush thing helped a lot since she was only 7 and wasn't a very good flosser. Our ortho and dentist recommend chocolate since it melts for treats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkTulip Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 (edited) I'll add one thing that hasn't been said yet: if they have an appointment where they are getting stiffer wires or an adjustment, I take them to get kind of a big meal immediately after (like a Subway footlong, for example). The pain doesn't kick in until about 30-45 minutes after the appointment ends, but they are able to eat a lot and be full, when later on it is too painful to eat something substantive and yet they will be hungry. Edited December 13, 2015 by Pink Tulip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 Our ortho doesn't want hard foods like biting into an apple (can have apple slices) or thick carrot sticks (thin are OK) because of the risk of breaking/dislodging brackets. No chewing ice either. My older kids never really complained about pain, but took some ibuprofen the first couple of days after getting them on and after adjustments. Dd is having a rougher time of it - maybe because she was older when she got hers on. She takes ibuprofen right before her appointment. She has a smoothie shortly after an appointment and softer foods that day. She also finds chewing sugarless gum very helpful in controlling pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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