What foods work best with braces?
Lots of people have addressed pain, so I’ll just add one other thing about that: My ortho gave me a rubber U-shaped thing to chew on after adjustments. A bit like a mouthguard, but it’s completely flat. They said chewing on that would help my teeth “settle” and make the pain go away faster. I can’t say that it made a huge difference one way or the other, but that sort of thing would be WAY better than gum. No offense to those that suggested gum, but when you’re an adult and you’re paying for stuff yourself, having to get an emergency appointment because a brace popped off isn’t so fun. As to food, it all gets stuck up there. You kinda just have to get used to it and not smile much when you’re eating. 🙂 On a related note, just about the best product ever, are these little “interdental brushes”(google for pictures). They’re just a small brush designed to fit between the wire and your teeth, allowing you to clean the braces quickly and easily.
Yogurt. If you get fruit yogurt, the fruit might get stuck in the braces, but a good water swish should loosen them. When I had braces in middle school, for a good week or so after every appointment, all I could eat was soup, rice porridge, yogurt, and those Chinese instant liquid breakfasts like Carnation, in addition to drinks. Anything mashable in my mouth like mashed potatoes, popcorn, crackers, and such, came after those days. And then I went all out with candy. Taffy and caramel were no problem in very small pieces; I could smish them on the roof of my mouth and rub my tongue on them up there, and that (and saliva) will eventually wear down the candies. Makes them last longer than usual, too :).
specialnobodie: No offense to those that suggested gum, but when you’re an adult and you’re paying for stuff yourself, having to get an emergency appointment because a brace popped off isn’t so fun. Gum is not going to pop off a bracket. Adults can chew properly, and if you’re not rolling the gum around in your mouth and chewing like a jackass, it’s not going to get stuck, either. Every single bracket that ever popped off in my case either happened spontaneously (I was sitting and watching TV, and – PING! – a bracket popped.) Usually the result of a bracket not being properly glued on. The other big bracket popper was crusty bread. I had to give it up, because even torn into the tiniest chunks, biting into it can break brackets or permanent retainers.
Yep, a water-pik and threader floss are going to be essential, no matter what he eats. When I had braces a few years ago, I was surprised how pretty much everything with a texture more complicated than mashed potatoes would find a way to lodge in there. More soft food suggestions here.
