Do braces bring on canker sores?

[amyhenna]

I'm new here, and about to get braces for a second time in this lifetime. I can't wait!! Colors, colors, colors!

But the thing I'm not excited about is this "canker sore" deal. I think I remember getting ouchies on the insides of my mouth in my first orthdontic adventure, but I know I haven't had any since. Will I get them again? Is it a foregone conclusion? Does anyone get braces and NOT get canker sores?

I'm getting ceramics top and bottom, and have a raw plant based diet. Am I going to have to put all my vegetables in a food processor and drink them through a straw for the next two years? Spinach is my best friend, and I do not want to part ways. Plus, I am already sick of cleaning the food processor and I just started using it last week. (To test out braces-friendly concoctions)

In summation, here are my questions:
1. Canker sores- Am I destined to get them no matter what if I get braces, even though I don't get them now? How often? Just at first, or ongoing for 18-24 months?
2. As a raw plant food eater, will I be relegated to a Gerber's diet for two years? :-)

[Tobilei]

I think I read somewhere that *some* people are prone to canker sores when in braces. I can't remember where I read it. You do get mouth ulcers sometimes when the brackets or wire rubs though. Using wax helps them to go away more quickly if you can get it to stick (I've not had much luck). I got a lot of them in the first couple of weeks but now I still get them, but only from time to time and I seem to be getting less as time moves on.

As for spinach, I happily munch through raw spinach/lettuce/baby kale and have done for a while now. Shredded carrot is fine too. Apples can be eaten, you just have to cut them up into teeny bite sized pieces first. Initially you'll probably need to blend a lot of your food though but the time comes you can chew again

[Ciara]

I never get canker sore either but with braces I do when they are first put on, after and adjustment or if something moves. At the first sign of rubbing I put a generous blob of wax and have only had one bad canker sore. i'm finding the lower brackets much harder than the upper ones and every bracket is rubbing against my lower lip.

Ciara

[amyhenna]

Thank you both for your feedback. I guess I don't know if I ever had actual canker sores or just shredded mouth walls from my braces :-) I just remember some pain/irritation until it healed. I was so much less worried about things back then!

Good to hear I don't have to say goodbye to spinach.