We know that getting braces can be a fairly big deal. It takes some time to get used to, as obviously your mouth feels different, your teeth start to shift, your appearance changes and eating becomes slightly more challenging. When many patients first get braces, they find that they have to adapt the way they bite and chew to accommodate for braces. Although eating gets easier as treatment goes on, it takes some time to get used to, so here are 6 tips to help you:
1. The ability to wolf down your food will be a thing of the past…for a couple of weeks anyway! Slow down and take your time to eat your food, as you get used to eating with your new braces.
2. Stick to soft foods to begin with. Think mashed potato, soft scrambled eggs & soup. Avoid stringy foods like spaghetti and melted cheese. If you can’t live 2 weeks without a good ol’ Bolognese, cut up the spaghetti strands into small pieces.
3. Try to remember to bite with the side of your mouth. As you get used to the braces, biting normally will be fine but initially you may find it impossible to bite into anything using your front teeth.
4. It’s fine to treat yourself to something slightly naughty and cold once in a while, like ice-cream or frozen yoghurt. The cold can temporarily dull the pain from your braces.
5. Avoid certain foods that are bound to get stuck in your brackets, for example sticky sweets, nuts and seeds and even the hulls of popcorn. They will drive you mad until you can finally brush, so it’s best to stay away.
6. Make everything bite-size! Eating will be a much more enjoyable and easier if you simply cut up your food into bite-size pieces.
