Braces are commonly remembered as bad childhood memories. They are the very first investment many people make, years before they learn how the stock market works. They alter a person’s behaviour completely, and influence our look, self-confidence, and eating habits.
Orthodontists now offer braces that are less invasive. Invisalign braces, like those from Singapore’s idental.com.sg, provide a subtle solution that makes extensive guides on how to eat with braces irrelevant. Here is one anyway.
Eat Soft, Slow, and Sideways
The first few weeks of having braces may be uncomfortable, but soon enough, you will settle in with your new long-term body part. After installing them, an orthodontist will remind you of the foods to eat, and ones to avoid. Sticky food such as caramel, crunchy food like apples, and downright audacious things such as caramel apples are huge no-nos.
Stick to a soft food diet that requires minimal chewing, or none at all. If you want to survive the next few months, you will need to acquire a taste for fish, dairy, fruits and matzah-balls. That last one is not explicitly required, but it sounds nice.
Do not inhale your food. This applies regardless of having braces or not, but slow eating especially with braces reduces the chances of those matzah-balls bouncing down the wrong pipe. We use our teeth to diffuse choking hazards, and having braces will make you realize why The Hurt Locker was such a slow movie.
Another great way of assisting your teeth with their mass exodus is simply leaving them alone. Develop the habit of chewing with the back of your mouth, and biting into foods sideways- even if it makes you look like a cow. Also, avoid eating beef.
Ice Cream Anaesthesia
Calm down. Though it may sound like the greatest thing that has ever happened to medical science since the discovery of, well, anaesthesia; but any type of cold food dulls the pain from your braces. Turning exclusively to gelato is up to you.
Just remember to keep it in moderation; getting addicted to an ice cream pain relief regimen can undercut the point of having braces on for years. If you just had your brackets tightened, postpone digging into that tub of Honey Jalapeño Apricot Fudge Explosion until three days pass. Cancel all your solid ice-chewing plans until your braces come off or you can just have water when it is not frozen.
Hot foods are also fine, encouraged even. Substituting steak for soup may sound like an unfair bargain, but it saves your mouth from pain, bleeding, and things sticking between brackets. If you do end up daring to defy the orthodontist’s orders, two weeks of waiting after getting braces on is enough time to familiarize your mouth to the metal wires. Just remember to clean them after every meal, regardless of whether you ate vegetables or something you actually enjoyed.
If you have braces on or are planning to have them, remember that you can still enjoy food. Consult your orthodontist and wear braces with optimism to achieve that satisfying smile, and a satisfied palate.
