Getting your braces tightened is a not-so pleasant experience that most orthodontic patients dread. Whether you just got your braces on or you are at the tail-end of your straightening, you’re going to experience some discomfort for the first couple days after your tightening. Even people with invisible braces experience some pain whenever they switch to a new tray.
When you have sensitive teeth from orthodontics, you need to eat soft, easy-to-chew foods that aren’t going to put extra pressure on your teeth. Here are some foods to keep in mind.
Soup, Stew, Or Broth
Soup, stew, broth, and similar dishes are all going to be easy on your teeth. You will need to be careful about how hot the soup is when you eat in because your teeth might be sensitive to temperature changes as well. Also be leery about soups or stews with large pieces of meat in them. Cooked vegetables should be fine, but chicken and beef may be difficult to chomp down on.
Baked Or Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes and well-cooked baked potatoes are usually soft enough to eat with orthodontics. You can add butter, salt, and even gravy to your potatoes to bump up the flavor. Be careful about adding cheese to the mix if you have metal braces because the cheese could get tangled in the wires. That will make it difficult to brush your teeth at the end of the night.
Jell-O And Pudding
Gelatin snacks like Jell-O and various types of pudding do not require any chewing. You just stick a spoonful in your mouth, and down it goes. While we certainly don’t want you getting hooked on sugar, we understand that you may need easy foods like this to eat after a tightening appointment. Ideally, choose sugar free versions of the gelatin or pudding you want to eat. You can also play around with Jell-O recipes to create unique dishes for snacking when your teeth are sensitive.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is easy to eat, it tastes great, and it’s loaded with fiber and other good nutrients. You can mix all sorts of flavor packs into basic oatmeal, like maple brown sugar, apple cinnamon, peaches and cream, and more. If you want to add some raisins, bananas, or other soft fruits to the oatmeal, you can once your mouth starts to heal up. After a few days have passed, you should be back to eating normal foods again.
