Questions from a newly Braced guy - URGENT! Please help

[bracemyself]

Hi

I got my clear braces yesterday. No elastic bands, just the wire. I have a few (urgent) questions

1) How long before I can expect to stop feeling that I have a ton of something in my mouth?

2) How long before I can expect to stop feeling the pain from the wires pulling-in at my teeth? Or is this a permanent feature of braces?

3) The metal braces from my molars (they dont do clear braces in the inner teeth apparently) hurts my cheek. Is this temporary or permanent? If so, what can I do about it?


4) I dont feel like talking a lot. Is this going to be permanent till I get the braces off?

5) What foods can I eat/not eat? I am a vegetarian, and eat a lot of rice in my diet. Can someone tell me whether I can eat each of the foll or not after a couple weeks?

a) Subway Sandwich?
b) Falafel (The deep fried brown/crisp fritter made of chickpeas)
c) Eggplant Paramesan?
d) Chipotle "Burrito Bol"?
e) Veggie Sandwich and Fries from McDs or In N Out?
f) Thick/Golden Crust Pizza from Pizza Hut?
g) Spaghetti?
h) Thin Crust Pizza from Pizza Hut?
i) Pita Bread w/Hummus you get in Meditteranean Restaurants?


PLEASE HELP!! I feel like taking my braces off altogether if things dont improve by next week (Week2).

Anxious,
IHateBraces

[freerideuk]

ok number one
the feeling of having tons of metal in your moth passes very quickly i remeber that feeling now it just feels normal to me

number two

that feeling will pass very quickly within a week or so it is just cause the new wire is moving your teeth once the feeling has passed you wont feel it again till your next adaption

number three

it will create some sores but over time the inside of your cheeks will harden up but until then use some dental wax just put it over the bracket that is rubbing your mouth and thats it

number four

its deffinetley not perminante i am one person you can't get to shut up your probblay just not confortable yet with your braces and a little self consious

number five

eat them all really why stop eating certain foods just stay clear of very hard foods and chewy like toffees as its easy to break your brace eationg them as i have a couple of times


sorry bout the poor spelling i am hopeless but just stick in there it gets better and time flys by

i am quite strange in the fact i love my braces i mean i want them off but i think i will miss them lolz

[amd]

The feeling of having tons of metal in your mouth does start to subside over time.
The pulling on your teeth. I don't know yet because I've only had mine on for 10days. Mine don't really hurt that much.
You can eat whatever you can chew, except really hard stuff and sticky stuff.

Hang in there. Look at some after pics for encouragement and read some of the other Braces stories for moral support. Don't worry - you'll live. I don't think anyone has died from the discomfort of braces!!

P.S. use wax to cover the brackets that bother you and do as KK suggests -rinse with salt water at least 5 times a day. It helps heal things much quicker.

[Lisa65]

Hiya

) How long before I can expect to stop feeling that I have a ton of something in my mouth? You do get used to it after a while. Carrying on with life as normal and not dwelling on the fact that you have braces is the best way forward. They will only stop you doing stuff if you let them.

2) How long before I can expect to stop feeling the pain from the wires pulling-in at my teeth? Or is this a permanent feature of braces? Not everyone has pain, but discomfort tends (in general) to be worst in the first couple of days after being braced or getting an adjustment. OTC painkillers (Advil) will help if you feel you need something.

3) The metal braces from my molars (they dont do clear braces in the inner teeth apparently) hurts my cheek. Is this temporary or permanent? If so, what can I do about it? Wax, wax, wax - and do the salt water rinses. Your cheek will toughen up after a while, but if you use the wax in the meantime it will be more bearable.


4) I dont feel like talking a lot. Is this going to be permanent till I get the braces off? Is your reluctance to talk because you feel self-conscious? Or are you not normally a chatty person? I don't talk any less than before but I'm not a big talker anyway.

5) What foods can I eat/not eat? I am a vegetarian, and eat a lot of rice in my diet. Can someone tell me whether I can eat each of the foll or not after a couple weeks?

Eat whatever you like except hard or sticky foods which can damage your brackets. If you want a sub or pizza, cut it up or break it into bits rather than biting into it. I haven't changed what I eat since getting braces, I just changed the way I eat.

PLEASE HELP!! I feel like taking my braces off altogether if things dont improve by next week - they will

(BTW, you might get more replies to posts of a more general nature if you post in the metal mouth forum. This forum is for peoples' online brace diaries, the MM forum or the Bracket Club is where most people hang out)

[Elyse84]

1. I haven't had my braces for very long, so the feeling is quite fresh in my mind. It took one week until my mouth felt normal - my lips got used to the extra hardwear in there, and it's all ok. Just persevere and make sure you have lip balm handy.

2. The pain you have should go at around a week too. I should subside after around 2-3 days, and totally gone at the week mark.

3. The metal molar bands at the back do hurt more than ceramic or metal brackets on their own. Drink plenty of water and use wax to cover up the area that's irritating your cheek.

4. I found speech a little more difficult for the first week in braces too. I had a bit of a lisp as my lips and tongue were getting used to all this extra stuff in my mouth! Trust me, it will get better. Just keep talking and try not to put your two front teeth together too much as they will be quite tender in the first few days.

5. I couldn't eat "normal" food for a week. The first few days I was eating very soft food like salmon and mashed potato that I could just mash on the roof of my mouth and swallow. But after a week, I could eat totally normally, with the exception of biting into whole apples etc.

While having braces when you first get them can be frustrating, it will all be worth it in the end!

[Nikkiekoala]

Be patient. The first week is the hardest. It is a huge adjustment. Sores develope (use lots of wax) but will heal. Take advil for any pain. Eat what you like when you feel up to it. We all have been there and most here will tell you that as time goes on you begin to nearly forget about the braces. I know you are thinking 'ya right' ....well it is true. I remember people telling me all these things too and sure enough if they were all right. Here I am now just months from getting my braces off! The time really does fly. Good luck.

[iBorg]

If the pain is a wire sticking in your cheek, call your ortho. It’s an easy fix. Also, warm salt-water rinses are a WONDERFUL thing. I do them at least once a day. I have minimal pain. I cannot take most OTC pain relievers so the rinses must be good.

I agree with all the other comments that it will get better. My ortho told me that she wants people who HATE their braces to give them a week. After that, if you truly hate it, she'll take them off.

As for eating, Eating helps stop the pain by increasing blood flow. Try it. If anything I've chewed to hard of food and knocked off brackets.

It does get better. If it didn't there would be a lot fewer people on this forum.

Mike

[Ives]

Thanks for starting this topic ihatebraces. I pretty much had all the same questions you had, except for the vegetarian lifestyle ( I gots to have my hamburgers !!!!! ) . The replies here have answered all of them for me. Thanks everyone.

also from one guy to another, hang in there bud, sounds like it will get better. I get my spacers on the 23rd and braces on March 1st. I'm going to start some salt rinses tonight, sounds like the way to go.

[Danielle]

The first couple of questions you asked kinda depend on how things go for you. I didn't have my molar build-up for the first couple of days an all I could eat was mashed potatoes, rice, and shakes. Shockingly it got easier to eat with the molar build-ups... go figure.

Now on to the food...

5) What foods can I eat/not eat? I am a vegetarian, and eat a lot of rice in my diet. Can someone tell me whether I can eat each of the foll or not after a couple weeks?

a) Subway Sandwich?
b) Falafel (The deep fried brown/crisp fritter made of chickpeas)
c) Eggplant Paramesan?
d) Chipotle "Burrito Bol"?
e) Veggie Sandwich and Fries from McDs or In N Out?
f) Thick/Golden Crust Pizza from Pizza Hut?
g) Spaghetti?
h) Thin Crust Pizza from Pizza Hut?

Okay, your a vegetarian like me (where an In-N-Out
Grilled Cheese counts as veggie).

Pizza Hut (and any pizza for that matter) I'd go with a soft crust (thick) over a thin crust early on and be warned pizza is gonna be one of those messy fooods no matter how new you are to braces... but thin crust wasn't possible for me for the first month. McDonalds--if you catch the fries when they're a little crunchier than usual just don't eat the ends and you'll be okay. In-N-Out (my personal favorite from this list) was not easy the first go around, the bun might be a little rough in certain spots around the edge and the fries might be a little too hard--but both should be soft enough in the center and grab a shake while you're there. Subway--depends on what you put on the sandwich--I had some bread issues early on... but that's just me. Spaghetti should be easy if you cut it up before eating (and I'm sure you know this rule applies to everything). Like I said before rice should actually be one of the easier things to eat (at least it was for me). Good luck.