In pain, Help Please :)

[Wesley]

Hello every one, im new to this site

Im from the UK, and i think alot of you are from the usa, but it dosnt really matter .


I had my top brace put on wensday so its been on for 2-3 days now.

Atm, my 2 front teeth really hurt.

Well actually i wouldnt say hurt, but ache.

Atm, i cant eat any hard food that involed me chewing, tbh with the pain i get from it, it puts me off eating, and just wants me to rip my brace out.

Also


I had 4 caps put on, there like a ring, that fits round the back teeth?

Well the ones on the top, scratch the side of my mouth, because i belive there is a small little sharp bit that sticks out that the wire feeds into?

All i know is that it hurts me alot, and is causeing a slight burning feeling, due to irritation i spose.


Can any one help me out please, and try me whats the best way to sort out these small problem's!

Because it is not a very nice experence for me what so ever!.


Wesley

[Sunny]

Good to hear your treatment has started Wesley.

Sorry to read your teeth are aching. Hopefully this won't take long for you to deal with, and you'll be feeling much better soon.

Eating ... essential if you want to feel healthy. Chewing also helps with pain and tooth movement. Chewing stimulates increased blood flow in the gums, and this supports the remodelling of the PDL (periodontal ligament), which in turn facilitates the processes necessary for tooth movement! Many people find the easiest way to chew, is to use the back teeth (molars). Also cutting your food into smaller pieces during these early days, is a good idea.

The molar bands you have, sound like they're causing you some major irritation. A good way to help with this, is to rinse your mouth several times a day with warm salt water. Put a pinch of salt (about a 1/4 teaspoon) in a cup with some warm tap water. Then rinse and gargle with it. while your mouth is sore, do this as often as you can. The salt water is soothing and healing for your mouth.

Wax will also help. Cover the tube the archwire is threaded through, and any other area that is rubbing with wax, so that your mouth can heal. Keep the wax on while eating, and only remove when you brush. The wax will help your mouth to toughen, without the need for skin to break and the mending process to begin again.

It's also important to keep a check on anything that is annoying you. For example when your teeth move, it's possible that the archwire will stick out behind the last molar band and this can cause it to stab your mouth. This means a call to your ortho and a few minutes in the chair to have the archwires clipped.

Good luck and hopefully by taking good care of your mouth, you'll quickly feel much better!

[Wesley]

Well thank you for replying to my thread

I will take what you have said into account, and hope for better effects.

I havnt had anything all day because it hurts so much

But im feeling ok atm, i dont feel like i want to eat :S.

Cheers for your reply


Wesley.

[Sunny]

Wesley it's important that you eat, even if you don't feel like it. The longer you 'baby' your teeth, the longer it's going to take you to adjust and get on with living life as you've always done. Having braces does not prevent us from doing anything, only we can make that decision.

Here's some soft food suggestions -

Suggestions By Category

Dairy

• Smooth yogurt, or yogurt without a lot of chunks. You could also take chunky yogurt and puree it in a blender to break down the chunks. Also, try the new yogurt in a tube, available at most grocery stores.
• Various soft cheeses, such as brie, cottage cheese, and thinly sliced Swiss, cheddar, harvarti, etc.
• Milk-based drinks
• Custard
• Pudding

Breads and Baked Goods

• Any type of soft bread that does not have seeds, nuts, or pieces of whole grains. If you like whole-wheat bread, look for one that has a smooth texture. Tear off the crust if necessary.
• Muffins without nuts or chunks
• Corn bread, corn muffins
• Soft cakes
• Tortillas (corn and flour, microwaved or steamed until soft)
• Pancakes
• Saltine crackers and matzo are often soft enough to smoosh at the roof of your mouth with your tongue

Grains

• Couscous
• Quinoa
• Pasta
• Noodles
• Soft-cooked rice, risotto
• Bulgur
• Kasha
• Farro wheat (cooked very soft like risotto)
• Polenta
• Matzo balls
• Grits

Meats and Poultry

• Soft-cooked chicken
• Bar-b-que type soft cooked meat
• Meatloaf
• Chicken salad
• Thinly sliced lunch meats
• Meatballs
• Many meat recipes that you make in a crock pot or pressure cooker are very tender
• Chicken nuggets cut into very small pieces

Meat Alternatives

• Tofu can be made in many ways and is always easy to eat.

Seafood

• Soft-cooked fish
• Fish croquettes (salmon, tuna)
• Fish loaf (tuna, salmon)
• Tuna, salmon, or whitefish salad
• Frozen flavored fish filets
• Crab cakes
• Fish sticks (non-crunchy, cut into small pieces)

Soups

• Look in your local grocery store for soups that either don't contain chunks, or have very mushy ingredients.

Vegetables

• Soft-cooked carrots, squash
• Mashed potatoes
• Potato pancakes
• Smooshed potato salad
• Cole slaw
• Spinach or corn soufflé (Stouffer's makes a frozen one)
• Fresh spinach, chard, kale, or other greens, cooked very soft or steamed and cut up.
• Avocados, guacamole
• Salsa (non-chunky)
• Beans (mashed it necessary)
• Hummus, various Middle Eastern dips

Fruits

• Mashed bananas
• Applesauce
• Baked apples
• Fruit juice, juice smoothies (protein powder can be added)
• Other ripe fruits that get mushy

Treats

• Ice cream without nuts or chunks, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet, granita
• Milkshakes, smoothies
• Most cold drinks make your teeth feel better - iced tea, iced coffee, etc. But be careful not to inadvertently drink too much caffeine!
• Soft cakes
• Cheesecake that has been microwaved for 30 seconds to one minute (it gets a bit mushy and easier to eat)
• Cream pies
• Jell-O (gelatin)
• Custard or flan
• Pudding

Shakes and Bars

• Protein shakes, Slim Fast, etc.
• Zone Perfect Bars (when you can chew a little bit. These are the least chewy protein bars I've found so far, with a texture like Rice Krispy Treats).

Suggestions by Meal Type

Breakfast

• Scrambled eggs. Add cheese for more protein.
• Frozen cheese blintzes (available in some grocery stores)
• Hot cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc)
• Cold cereal that has gotten mushy with milk
• Pancakes
• Soggy waffles
• Muffins without nuts or chunks
• Matzo brie - soak a piece of matzo in water until soft, drain water, mix mushy matzo with one or two eggs, fry in butter or cooking spray until mixture is cooked. Serve plain or with cinnamon sugar.
• Breakfast grits made with milk and butter

Lunch

• Macaroni and cheese
• Ramen noodles, chopped up
• Spaghetti, chopped up. Canned varieties are usually very soft.
• Tuna or chicken salad
• Egg salad
• Cottage cheese
• Various soups: Miso, egg drop, chicken, etc.
• Thinly sliced lunch meat, broken into bits
• Noodle side-dishes (Lipton makes one, for example)
• Bean and cheese Mexican dishes (burritos, enchiladas, etc) You can find some frozen ones in your grocery store.
• When eating out, look for dishes that obviously have soft foods, and no nuts or hard-to-chew chunks.
• Quiche

Dinner

• Meatloaf
• Shepard's pie
• Soft cooked fish - steamed or simmered is usually best. Or fish cakes/croquettes.
• Bean and cheese enchiladas or burritos
• Chili (mash it up if necessary)
• Sloppy Joes. Try making them with various sauces for more variety, such as bottled Indian sauces, Creole sauces, or your favorite marinating sauce. Substitute ground chicken or turkey for variety. A great BBQ chicken sloppy joe uses boneless chicken thighs. Mince in a food processor until they are a gooey mess, then fry it in a pan until it looks like ground chicken. Add BBQ sauce and cook down -- on soft bread they are easily eaten by semi-chewers. Non-chewers can cut it up with a fork into small bites.
• Cooked steak, shredded in a food processor. Top with caramelized onions and/or shredded cheese (or a dipping sauce - BBQ, Teriyaki, etc.) and it becomes a shredded hot salad.
• Pasta, ravioli
• Asian fried rice or noodles with tiny bits of meat and soft veggies
• Lasagna
• Enchilada Pie (layers of corn tortillas, beans, cheese, and sauce. Add bits of meat if desired)

[mariahfromchicago]

Good luck! It won't hurt as much once those teeth have moved to the right spot.
Sunny: That is a good list, I'll need to remember those foods.
- mariah