If you've just had your braces on or your braces have just been tightened, your teeth will hurt for a few days. The pain will go away after a few days, but you have to choose your food well. Hard, sticky foods will damage your braces and can cause pain. Find out how you can eat with tight braces below. Knowing what foods to eat and how to eat them will make it easier for you to adapt to braces.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Choose soft foods
Soft foods that don't need to be chewed are the right foods for braces wearers. Soft foods do not damage braces and also do not cause pain in sensitive teeth. Some foods, such as hard vegetables, you can still eat, but it's better if you steam them first so that the food becomes soft and easy to bite. Some foods that won't hurt sensitive teeth include:
- soft cheese
- yogurt
- soup
- boneless tender meats (chicken, turkey, meatballs etc.)
- boneless soft seafood (fish, crab preparations)
- pasta/noodles
- boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes
- soft rice
- egg
- cooked beans
- soft bread without crust
- soft tortilla
- pancake
- baked goods, such as biscuits and muffins
- pudding
- applesauce
- banana
- fruit juice with milk (smoothies), ice cream, or milkshakes (milkshakes)
- Jelly
Step 2. Avoid hard foods
Hard foods can damage braces and cause mild pain once your braces are placed or tightened. Avoid all foods that are hard or difficult to chew, especially after a scheduled dental check-up. Examples of hard foods to avoid are:
- all kinds of nuts
- granola
- popcorn (popcorn)
- ice
- bread crust
- hard bread (bagels)
- pizza crust
- chips (potatoes and tortillas)
- hard tortillas (tacos)
- raw carrots (unless cut very small)
- apples (unless cut very small)
- corn (corn kernels are edible, what should be avoided is eating corn off the cob)
Step 3. Don't eat sticky food
Sticky foods are not good for braces and can cause pain if you chew them with new braces. Candy and chewing gum are the worst sticky foods and should be avoided. Some sticky foods to avoid include:
- all kinds of chewing gum
- licorice
- candy
- caramel
- soft candy
- chewy candy
- chocolate
- cheese
Part 2 of 4: Changing the Way You Eat
Step 1. Cut the food into small pieces
The thing that most often damages braces is the way you eat. The way you bite your food during this time can cause braces to come off or break. One way to avoid this is to cut food into small pieces. This can help your teeth to chew more easily.
- Use a knife to remove the corn kernels from the cob. Corn is soft enough to eat, but biting it straight off the cob will hurt teeth or damage braces.
- Cut the apples before eating. Like corn, biting an apple straight from the stem can cause pain and damage braces.
- Even if you eat foods that are safe for braces wearers, make sure they are also cut into small pieces. This will reduce the pain in your teeth.
Step 2. Chew food with the back teeth
Most people don't really care about the teeth they use for biting and chewing, but your teeth can become very sensitive after braces are placed and can cause pain. Chewing with the back teeth can reduce pain in the teeth because the back teeth tend to be thicker and more suitable for grinding food.
- When chewing, avoid tearing food with your front teeth. It is better to cut the food into small pieces before you eat it.
- You can try putting food in the back of your mouth. Be careful not to choke.
- If you're afraid you'll bite the spoon, try picking up pieces of food with your hands and placing them in your mouth for your back teeth to chew.
Step 3. Eat slowly
Even if you're hungry, you should eat slowly, especially if your teeth still hurt on the first day of braces. Eating too fast makes you forget how to eat what you should do (small bites that are chewed with the back teeth). You can also accidentally bite into the seeds or bones when eating too fast. If you chew too quickly, your teeth may also be sore and inflamed. The reason is, the bones and ligaments that support the teeth in the mouth become weak during the teeth alignment process.
Drink lots of water when eating. Drinking water will help you swallow if you have difficulty chewing and can clean braces from stuck-on food
Part 3 of 4: Coping With Pain
Step 1. Gargle with salt water
Your teeth, gums, tongue, and cheeks will be sore for a few days. This is normal and can be treated in several ways. The easiest way to relieve pain in an inflamed mouth is to gargle with salt water.
- Mix a tablespoon of salt with a glass of warm water (approximately 250 ml). Do not use water that is too hot or you could hurt your mouth.
- Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Gargle with the salt water mixture as often as possible, especially in the first week after braces or braces are tightened. Get rid of the liquid in your mouth after gargling.
Step 2. Use wax on the wire
Many braces wearers experience pain in their lips, tongue, or cheeks from rubbing against sharp wires. Wires that are too long also often puncture the mouth. Both of these are normal and can be corrected by applying orthodontic wax to the painful wire. Waxes are useful when your mouth has to adapt to a foreign object in your mouth or as a temporary solution before you visit the dentist. If your braces break or puncture your mouth, it's best if you go to the dentist as soon as possible to have them fixed.
- Only use orthodontic wax on your braces. Ask your dentist for a candle to take home or check with your nearest pharmacy.
- If the orthodontic wax keeps coming off when applied, ask your dentist to warm up some gutta-percha to apply to the braces. This material will cool after about 40 seconds and will last longer than regular orthodontic waxes.
Step 3. Take the medicine
If you feel pain after wearing braces or after braces are tightened, you may need to take medication. Common over-the-counter medications containing acetaminophen or ibuprofen can relieve pain, including toothaches.
If you are giving medicine to a child or teenager, avoid giving medicine that contains aspirin to avoid the risk of contracting Reye's syndrome. Reye's syndrome is a potentially fatal condition associated with aspirin use in children or adolescents
Part 4 of 4: Taking Care of Teeth
Step 1. Use dental floss regularly
Braces make cleaning between your teeth more difficult, but this is a must if you wear braces. Food can get stuck in between the teeth and around the wires, which can cause discomfort and infection. There are several dental floss products that braces wearers can use more easily.
- Use dental floss under the braces, then thread the braces between your teeth over the top of the braces.
- Make a C shape while flossing to remove any food debris.
Step 2. Brush your teeth after eating
Brushing your teeth is especially important if you wear braces, especially when new braces are being placed or tightened. Brushing your teeth after eating and before going to bed will remove food residue that can cause pain in your teeth and gums.
- Use a toothbrush with soft bristles so as not to cause pain to the teeth and gums.
- Try using an interdental toothbrush to clean the gap between the wire and the support.
- Brush towards the tongue to make sure the teeth are completely clean of food debris. Use a downward motion on the upper teeth and an upward motion on the lower teeth.
- Do not rush. Take about two to three minutes each time you brush to make sure you've cleaned all sides of each tooth.
- You may even need to brush and rinse your mouth more often. Now, plaque on teeth can spread over a wider surface (teeth and braces).
Step 3. Use the rubber as instructed
Rubber is usually recommended to correct uneven teeth. Braces will straighten your teeth, but if your teeth are misaligned your dentist will recommend orthodontic rubber for you. Rubber is worn by attaching both ends to hooks on two equal supports (usually one at the front and one at the back, from top to bottom on each side).
- Rubber should be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until the dentist says you no longer need it.
- It is recommended that you continue to wear the rubber band, including during sleep, and only remove it when eating and brushing your teeth.
- Even if you're thinking about not wearing rubber for a few days after your braces are tightened, it's a good idea to follow your dentist's specific recommendations.
Step 4. Follow your inspection schedule
Your dentist will schedule monthly check-ups to tighten braces. Sticking to your dentist's schedule is important to make sure your braces are working properly. Postponing your tightening schedule will lengthen the time you need to wear braces. It is also recommended that you come to the dentist every six months to make sure your teeth are healthy and strong.
Tips
- Bite soft food with your front or back teeth.
- Use lip balm when you go to the dentist. The lip balm will protect your lips from drying out and cracking after the examination.
- Don't eat foods that your dentist says you should avoid. Dentists know what is good for braces. By following the dentist's advice, your braces won't break and you won't have to wear them any longer than they should.
- If you feel pain, don't make the pain worse. Touching your teeth, gums, and braces can make the pain worse.
- Don't continue eating something if you start to feel sick.
- Avoid fizzy drinks. Fizzy drinks contain a lot of acid and sugar that can grind your teeth and dental fixtures and can cause white spots. Drinking too much soda can also cause cavities.
- Try to keep the lower and upper teeth from touching each other, as this can cause pain.
- If your teeth hurt but you feel hungry, drink a smoothie or a cold milkshake. The chill of the drink will ease the pain and the smoothie will fill your stomach.
- Chew food on the side of the mouth that doesn't hurt.
- Don't mess with your braces. If the braces are damaged, your braces will last longer.
Warning
- Don't play with braces. Although braces look strong, they break easily. Repairing broken braces is expensive and will prolong your treatment.
- Your braces are precise tools and can be easily damaged by hard foods like hard tortillas, apples, and hard breads and sticky foods. These foods can make braces loose and even fall off. Avoid chewing on things other than food that can bend the wire and cause discomfort.
