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What to Eat With Braces the First Week

By February 2, 2023 August 12th, 2023 No Comments
young man with braces eating an apple

After discovering you had aesthetic needs to make your smile more beautiful by straightening some crooked teeth, your dentist will most likely recommend braces. However, the struggle comes after you put on braces and you want to continue enjoying your typical delicacies.

It’s pretty uncomfortable to adjust having these hooks, wires, and brackets, especially during the first week, whether it’s after getting the braces tightened or it’s your first experience altogether.

This article will help you know what to eat with braces the first week, how to eat with braces, why braces hurt, especially during the first week, and tips for eating with braces. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Soft Foods to Eat With Braces the First Week

Eggs

Eggs have all the vital acids. It’s an all-in-one kind of meal that is easily digestible and doesn’t require much chewing, which results in sore teeth. Scrambled eggs go well with good old-time pancakes. Thus you could consider eggs as they are easy to prepare, and you can make multiple toppings like sour cream, tomatoes, cheeses, and avocado.

Veggies

Mostly, people enjoy raw or cooked veggies. However, you may not enjoy the raw veggies with new braces and all the soreness within the first days. But you can cook them or make a vegetable soup which is easier to chew.

Oats

Oatmeal and oats are excellent for a nice breakfast with braces. Oats are rich in dietary fibers. Moreover, some dietary fibers like beta Glucan provide heart benefits that decrease bad cholesterol in your bloodstream. To make oats more palatable, you can add some cinnamon, fresh berries, syrup, and oatmeal.

Protein Shakes

The first week’s discomfort can increase because of several reasons, as we shall see in a few. Thus, a balanced protein shake acts as an ideal meal replacement. Good oral hygiene may not be achievable when taking certain foods like crunchy foods.

The good thing with protein shakes is that you can customize them to a texture or a consistency of your liking.

food served on the table

Pancakes

Pancakes are fluffy, soft, delicious, and an excellent combination for people with braces. You could enjoy your pancakes in different shapes using a cookie-cutter, especially for kids with braces. It will help get their focus off the pain and the discomfort of braces.

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Pasta

Pasta is not high on the nutrition scale. However, after getting braces, an excellent soft pasta makes a good diet option for carbohydrates. Pasta is affordable and cheap, and as a source of carbohydrates, it’s a great energy source.

Soups

Grandma’s and ma’s soups are known for comfort. Instead of crunchy foods, you could consider a lukewarm soup that is not overly hot. In your first week with braces, you can make soups as they are easy to make.

Soups come in several forms, including creamy or brothy but are mineral and vitamin-rich. They are a great source of collagen and fluids. Therefore, you could take soups like lentil soup, chicken and ramen noodle soups, vegetable soup, miso soup, wonton soup, etc.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are both versatile and soft. As soft food, you can eat them boiled or mashed. You could also prepare them by steaming or baking. You can also top your sweet potatoes with cheese, chives, and sour cream.

With these, sweet potatoes make a good option, not only because they are soft but also because they are rich in minerals like potassium, manganese, and vitamins.

3 dishes and vegetables on the table

Yogurt

Homemade or bought yogurts are mostly packaged with calcium, vitamin B12 and B6, protein, starch, good bacteria, and more dietary benefits. Plus these benefits, yogurt produces a soothing cold effect on your gums and teeth, especially when you feel sore. Therefore, you could take the brands with low-fat.

Soft Fruits

You can have fruits any time during the day. However, the hard ones like apples, pears, and others may not be ideal for your first days. Soft fruits like papaya, grapes, melons, etc., would go a long way in avoiding pain in the first week. You can make smoothies and juices if you want hard fruits instead of taking them raw as your new braces would hurt.

Fish

First, fishes are high in omega-three acids and protein. Not only do these acids have anti-inflammatory abilities, but they also make an excellent choice for the first week on braces as when cooked adequately, they are soft and ideal for these first few days.

Smoothies

Smoothies come in different ingredients: fruits, juices, vegetables, and others which make a fantastic flavor and texture. Thus smoothies make an excellent option for your first week with braces. There are multiple recipes for smoothies.

smoothies in jars and fruit on the table

Why Do Braces Hurt the First Week?

Since the first week will feel uncomfortable, switching to soft food is mostly instinctive. You will feel the pain because your mouth is still adjusting to the wires, hooks, and brackets that come with braces. The braces will rub your gum lines creating discomfort, which may also cause abrasions on your cheek.

Usually, the orthodontist will provide wax that you can use over the tender areas for soothing as your cheeks heal. Please note that braces can hurt depending on your conduct and poor orthodontic treatment and skills. Thus a good orthodontist choice could go a long way. Also, taking care of your braces will help ease your pain or increase it.

Therefore, you’ll experience mild pain because the braces apply force while realigning your teeth. The pain will gradually reduce, and you could relieve pain using pain killers as advised by your orthodontist. Also, eating hard foods causes your teeth to hurt. Solid foods like hard nuts cause discomfort, increasing the tension as you chew the food.

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Tips of Eating With Braces, the First Week

When you wear braces, your gums become tender and softer, which makes it easy to prick them while brushing. You might have to consider purchasing and using the orthodontist-recommended cleaning aids. Here are some more tips for eating with braces.

-Consider eating softer foods more. Soft foods are easier to chew, which helps you reduce the chewing tension. They usually stick in your braces when you eat crunchy, sticky, and sugary foods. You can avoid these in your first week and the following weeks because they will be hard to clean.

-Try being creative to make chewing less sensitive. For example, you could cut food into small pieces and take smaller bites for easy chewing.

-Some snacks and foods like nuts and hard candy can damage your braces. They certainly cause pain in your first week. What’s more? Typically, we use our front teeth to bite into foods. Instead of that, try to bite using your back teeth.

a woman with braces and various dishes

How to Eat With Braces

First, we want to have straight teeth and achieve or restore a confident smile. Therefore, you can try viewing the discomfort of the first week of braces as worth the sacrifice and investment. Second, try to avoid the foods that harm your braces.

Try choosing some of the healthy foods discussed above and others that your orthodontist may recommend. You can choose them before the doctor carries out the orthodontic procedure. You could avoid hard foods like:

  • Popcorn
  • Corn
  • Hard Rolls
  • Hard Nuts
  • Ice
  • Bagels

Also, choose foods that you can clean easily. Plus, ensure you take the soft, non-sticky, non-sugary foods that are braces and teeth-friendly. Also, you could avoid sugary and sticky foods and drinks like:

  • Sticky Chocolates
  • Candy
  • Caramels
  • Lollipops
  • Gums
  • Soda
  • Sports Drinks
  • Carbohydrate Drinks

Acidic drinks cause tooth discoloration by dissolving the enamel. Plus, acidic and sugary drinks cause tooth decay and increase plaque on your teeth which means you would have to clean your teeth regularly. You might find regular floating and brushing with braces uncomfortable.

young woman with braces eating

How to Chew With Braces

Chewing contributes mainly to the pain with braces, especially in the first week. Consider cutting them into smaller pieces if you want to have solid foods like a pizza crust or burgers that you need to bite hard or open your mouth wide.

Also, you can consider boiled or steamed vegetables. The best foods for braces should be soft. Thus, boiled or steamed veggies make an ideal meal plan. But mostly avoid solid and chewy foods.

How Long After Braces Can I Eat Normally?

We can not be accurate on how long it can take to eat normally. For some, it may take a week, while others may be after three weeks. However, for most people wearing braces, the pain ceases after 3-4 days, then after a week, one can typically eat -although this should be with care and with the advice from your orthodontist. 

Sadly, in the first week with braces, you’ll experience discomfort and pain. Soft foods like mashed potatoes make a good option for your meal plan. Consider healthy foods and not soft foods alone. These foods will help you overcome the soreness. Other normal foods that make a soft diet could go a long way.

Ready for a confident, healthy smile?

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