First time dining with braces

[Pinkgirl]

My daughter just had her braces fitted yesterday. She's read through all the instructions from the orthodontist and is now starting to worry over what she is going to eat whilst at Disney in August. Her main concerns are counter service being all things in buns or pizza - the sort of stuff you usually rip into with your teeth, and that she needs to cut up, but wont be able to with the plastic cutlery Disney provide at these restaurants.

Parents of teenagers with braces, please help me out and tell me how your children cope with eating whilst at Disney.

 

[Minsc]

We have four teens with braces, and to be honest, as long as they stayed away from sticky, gooey treats, there were very little problems for my guys regarding regular food. I probably wouldn't go for a turkey leg, but everything else from pizza to hamburgers was issue free.

That being said, be sure to pack plenty of wax and cleaning brushes. That is a mistake we made the first time.

 

[LoriWV]

Not dealing with braces, but I have been known to carry a (metal or plastic) camping "spork" to events where I know there will be food that flimsy plastic cutlery can't handle.

 

[99Wendy]

She should be fine. The first week or so it pretty rough, but after that should be smooth sailing. Avoid the stick stuff and crunchy stuff. Pizza and burgers will be no problem

 

[Meglen]

Like others have said no sticky or chewy things. Also make sure you don't get them tightened to close to the trip or she won't wanna eat anything.

 

[KristinU]

She should be fine. The first week or so it pretty rough, but after that should be smooth sailing. Avoid the stick stuff and chrunchy stuff. Pizza and burgers will be no problem

Yep, this. By August she'll have it all figured out and won't be worried about anything that would be specific to Disney vs. anything in just everyday life. You'll probably have been in for fixes to broken brackets or wires by then, too... tortilla chips seemed to be the culprit most of the time when my DS had issues with wires or brackets popping off.

Definitely pack wax...but again, that will be old hat by then. Hang in there, that first week can be a rough one! It gets better!

 

[CraigInPA]

No worries with pizza or hamburgers. The biggest problem will be not being able to get caramel anything at the Germany pavilion in the World Showcase at Epcot. Sticky and braces don't play well together.

 

[Pinkgirl]

Like others have said no sticky or chewy things. Also make sure you don't get them tightened to close to the trip or she won't wanna eat anything.

That's one of my worries.

 

[happymommy]

Both my kids had braces, I agree not to worry. Don't get them tightened the day before you go. My kids ate pretty much anything except taffy.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

No sticky candy, no whole apples, cut corn off the cob. Other than that, my kids eat most anything with braces.

 

[Minnesota!]

My older son is on round 3 with braces and there isn't anything that he avoids. And tightening days don't bother him, either.

She will be fine! Yes, pack wax...they seem to need it at the most inopportune times...

 

[DisBuckMan]

Cut up things in buns and pizza? Yeah, that's not going to happen. She'll eat those items just like she always did...just bite into them like normal.

As others have said, the main thing is staying away from:
1. Very chewy things like taffy, Starburst, jelly beans, etc
2. Things you eat off a stick or bone. I think the thing my son misses the most is regular buffalo wings. He's told me that the first meal he wants when he gets his off this summer is regular "on the bone" buffalo wings.
3. As also said above...whole apples/pears and corn on the cob

Most anything else, she'll be able to eat the same way she always has.

 

[kniquy]

My twin boys both have braces currently. I don't think they have had any problems with any food. Candy - hard or very sticky should be avoided. Only when they have had a pallet expander did they have problems with leafy items getting stuck. The main problem that they have had is the thin wire they initially use -- it breaks very easy, so if she has any spaces (teeth that haven't come in yet) make sure she does not "play" with the wire.

You might want to bring some pliers in case you need to pull a broken wire. We have had to do that a number of times for both of them. Now that they have a thicker wire (knock on wood) their wires have not broken.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I had braces when I was a teenager and I didn’t really alter my diet. I stayed away from really sticky/chewy things like taffy, gum, caramel, tootsie rolls, things like that (but that’s not stuff I really eat anyway). Otherwise, I ate normally. I certainly never gave pizza or burgers a second thought!

Tightening the braces causes some mild discomfort for a day or 2 and then it’s fine. I wouldn’t worry about trying to time the appointment any particular way.

Really, having braces is no big deal. I’d say at least half of my class (probably more) sported metal in their mouth for some part of junior high/high school. I had mine for over 2 years and never broke a bracket.

 

[fla4fun]

I had braces when I was a teenager and I didn’t really alter my diet. I stayed away from really sticky/chewy things like taffy, gum, caramel, tootsie rolls, things like that (but that’s not stuff I really eat anyway). Otherwise, I ate normally. I certainly never gave pizza or burgers a second thought!

Tightening the braces causes some mild discomfort for a day or 2 and then it’s fine. I wouldn’t worry about trying to time the appointment any particular way.

Really, having braces is no big deal. I’d say at least half of my class (probably more) sported metal in their mouth for some part of junior high/high school. I had mine for over 2 years and never broke a bracket.

I had braces and I was in agony for about four to five days when I got tightened, to the point I would only eat food I could swallow without chewing at all (lots of soft scrambled eggs and soft mashed potatoes) until things settled down again. I would hazard a guess that it depends on each person’s pain tolerance and how the teeth are being moved (I had a massive overbite, and the teeth were moved a lot with each tightening). By the time the OP is going, they should know how the tightening will be and whether it needs to be delayed until after the trip. I never broke my braces or had anything come loose (in fact, they actually had trouble removing them at the end) but I followed all the guidelines regarding what I could and couldn’t eat.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I had braces and I was in agony for about four to five days when I got tightened, to the point I would only eat food I could swallow without chewing at all (lots of soft scrambled eggs and soft mashed potatoes) until things settled down again. I would hazard a guess that it depends on each person’s pain tolerance and how the teeth are being moved (I had a massive overbite, and the teeth were moved a lot with each tightening). By the time the OP is going, they should know how the tightening will be and whether it needs to be delayed until after the trip. I never broke my braces or had anything come loose (in fact, they actually had trouble removing them at the end) but I followed all the guidelines regarding what I could and couldn’t eat.

I guess it could be a pain tolerance thing. My eye teeth came in trough the front of my gums (didn’t descend), I had a big space in my front teeth, and the tooth on the immediate left of my front teeth came in completely sideways. So I had a lot of movement that had to be done to correct all of that. It just never bugged me that much. What hurt worse were the near constant sores in my mouth from where the brackets would rub (or when I’d get hit in the face during a stunt-gone-awry in cheerleading).

But, like you said, they definitely have time to get it figured out prior to the trip!

 

[fla4fun]

I guess it could be a pain tolerance thing. My eye teeth came in trough the front of my gums (didn’t descend), I had a big space in my front teeth, and the tooth on the immediate left of my front teeth came in completely sideways. So I had a lot of movement that had to be done to correct all of that. It just never bugged me that much. What hurt worse were the near constant sores in my mouth from where the brackets would rub (or when I’d get hit in the face during a stunt-gone-awry in cheerleading).

But, like you said, they definitely have time to get it figured out prior to the trip!

Mine was pretty much straightforward moving back, with no crooked teeth. I had a ton of extra space because I never got wisdom teeth (didn’t even show them on X-ray). Some of my tightening would move them back over a quarter inch at a time and the front teeth would actually be loose enough to wiggle. I hated the experience but appreciated the outcome.

If the OP’s teen is concerned about biting into something that is normally eaten with the hands, it’s always appropriate to tear off a bite and eat it that way. Some pizza crusts can be a little tough.

 

[NYCgrrl]

A portable water flosser/pik is useful for cleaning teeth with and without braces.

Since you are particularly interested in QS food and have concerns about the strength of plastic utensils another vote for a camping spock or disposable bamboo utensils.

 

[tabrizia]

My almost 9 year old has been in braces for over a year now. She can eat pizza and things in buns with no issue. As others have mentioned sticky is the big issue. She misses things like taffy, caramel or smores on occasion. It really isn't a major deal. She even cheats and does popcorn on occasion and just flosses super well afterwards.

 

[VFL]

You can also get a candy apple on Main Street and they will core and slice it for you. That's how my DD got to enjoy one in September. Just ask the ladies behind the counter and they will take care of it!