Confessions of a Braceface

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#1 Post by **switchblades** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:18 pm

I'm feeling kinda guilty at the moment, because I've been cheating a little bit with food, now that I can chew again without it hurting. I want to eat everything I see - my mother even asked me if I'm pregnant! So, I thought, "why not start a thread to see if anyone else is feeling this way?"

So...what are the things you crave the most now that you're braced, and how have you dealt with them? Did you cave like I did?

I ate one of the worst things I possibly could have, I think...

Popcorn at the movie theatre. My significant other took me out to celebrate finishing my degree, and since I had to work early the next day we decided a movie would be a good time. He planned to get a small popcorn because he knew I couldn't have it, but his friend was working concessions and gave him a large.

I ate half the freaking bag.

I brushed and flossed my teeth twice when I got home, but I still feel bad because I know I'm the one who will have to suffer if I damage my braces. I was good today though, we were at his sister's place and she broke out a big bowl of homemade caramel corn, and I respectfully declined.

#2 Post by **braceface418** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:33 pm

Regarding the popcorn, I was told that it was a banned food because of concerns about the hulls getting stuck under your gums, rather than breaking any of the hardware. So I found a hull-less variety of popcorn kernel on the interwebs and haven't looked back. I even sneak some of the popped corn in with me if I'm going to a theater.

There are some things I have to avoid because I can't physically bite in to them, like sandwiches or apples, but a fork and knife handling dispatches those. Other things, like caramel or taffy caused me pain anyway because they tend to stick to my crowns. If I'm sorely tempted, though, I just suck on it until it dissolves.

#3 Post by **switchblades** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:40 pm

I didn't know there was such a thing as popcorn without hulls!

Hook a girl up! haha

The sheet my ortho gave me said the kernals can damage the wiring and the brackets, plus if the hulls get under my gums it can cause inflammation, which makes moving the teeth take longer.

I also attempted a bun with a bowl of soup the other day, but it was too chewy so I gave up after about 1/4 of it and just stuck to the soup

#4 Post by **Lisa65** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:46 am

I generally avoid nuts because there's such a massive clean-up operation involved afterwards. I do not bite into very hard food like whole apples or raw carrots. I don't eat very sticky things like toffee.

Apart from that I eat everything I did before, including popcorn. If I go to the cinema, popcorn is a must-have. I just kind of "test" the kernels gently with my front teeth to check there's no hard bits.

#5 Post by **TumbleDryLow** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:49 am

Aside from not biting into anything hard with my front teeth, I eat just about everything I did prior to braces. My first month in braces I was the poster child for orthodontic food rule following. Then it all went to hell in a hand basket. Yeah, I felt guilty....for a minute.

#6 Post by **switchblades** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:08 pm

Well, today I didn't eat anything I wasn't supposed to, but I was soooo hungry by the time my supper break at work rolled around (I work in a mall...it's almost Christmas...you can bet I was run off my feet!) I was so hungry I inhaled my food. After brushing my teeth and all that jazz, I noticed that one of my brackets had fallen off, and I (presumeably) swallowed it. It was one of the ones on my very back upper molars, and was not tied in yet so was not doing anything, but I am slightly concerned about having swallowed it! I called the ortho's office right away and they have me in at 9am tomorrow to get a new one put on, but this has just been a ridiculous week!

#7 Post by **PuppySmiles** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:00 am

I'm still eating popcorn. Well, actually Smartfood, which I cannot resist!

Learned my lesson the hard way with caramels. They were dipped in chocolate. How could I say no? It was harder and stickier than I had expected, and I was already having a sore-teeth day. It wrapped around my braces, the chocolate got all over my face dealing with it, and left my teeth hurting like crazy.

Nothing broke, but boy was I sorry I'd done it!

#8 Post by **switchblades** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 4:56 am

Aww, yeah it's hard sometimes to guage what you can and can't eat. I'm thinking I'm going to get the "Cut your food smaller and eat slower!" lecture today

That's what I get I suppose!