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Panama Dental Center Discusses Eating with New or Adjusted Braces |
We all know that getting adjusted to your new braces, or the discomfort you experience when your existing ones have been adjusted, can be a really bad experience. But remember, that it only lasts a few days or hours, and just like a cold or a sprained ankle you’ll soon get over it. The Panama Dental Center suggests you follow some of these guidelines to make the transition easier and less painful encounter.
Unfortunately the force of braces isn’t applied gradually, it’s not something you work up to like sports training or physical endurance. The first few hours or days is like having an alien in your mouth, but it’s something you need to get used to. You’ll soon learn that eating certain foods will bring you a lot of pain and also cause some pretty weird reaction to your braces. The Panama Dental Center reminds you that even though your braces look strong their really are not, so don’t try to manipulate them with any foreign objects, because it’s really easy to break or bend the wires and other parts. Your braces are precise instruments, that can be easily damaged by hard or sticky foods.
Certain hard foods can loosen or even dislodge braces completely. Avoid chewing non-food items like pens or pencils that can bend the arch-wire and cause pain. Don't eat foods that are very sticky like caramel, peanut butter, or honey. These foods can stick in your braces and could pull the brackets off your teeth. Don't eat foods too high in sugar or starch, that bacteria feed on to create plaque. If plaque builds up around your appliance, it can get under your brackets and eat off the calcium on your teeth. This could create permanent, white bruises on your teeth that might require bleaching at the Panama Dental Center. Foods like ice cream, candy, chocolate, soft drinks, chewing gum and other foods high in sugar are also not good.
The Panama Dental Center reminds you, that for the first few days you’ll need to think soft and stay away from chewy and sticky foods. Find foods that are soft such as yogurt, ripened and sliced fruit, smoothies and milkshakes, Jell-O, soup, oatmeal or mashed potatoes. Eat slowly and carefully, and if it hurts to chew something, don't! Why give yourself pain, when you don’t have to? For the first few days why chew at all. You can easily mash soft foods by pressing them
against the roof of your mouth with your tongue. If chewing is needed, use your back teeth. If you’re experiencing any pain during the fist few days, take a pain reliever or swish your mouth with some water to ease mild pain. You can also apply some ice just as long as you don’t try to chew it.
Granted wearing braces takes some time to get used to, but the results are well worth it. And if you experience any problems or just have some question about braces and obtaining them, just give us a call at the Panama Dental Center and we’ll happily answer any questions you may have.
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