Gift basket ideas for someone getting braces

[ncmickeyluvr]

My almost 16 yr old niece is finally getting braces. She should have gotten them years ago but money at their house has been tight...whole different story. Anyway, I've never had braces and neither has dh. I want to put together a gift basket or something to give to dn on Monday when she gets them on. Any ideas?? Treats that she CAN eat or things to make them feel better...stuff like that.

Maybe I should just get her a gift certificate for a pedicure....her mouth hurts so she can just look at her pretty feet

Thanks in advance!

 

[clh2]

I would definitely include a pack or two of dental wax. (I think that is what it is called) If your DN gets any wire's poking or just plain irritating her mouth, the wax is helpful.

Also - some "super floss" would be great - it is made for people who are have dental work done. My DD preferred the Oral B, 50 packs. of the floss

Chocolate is a fine treat to put in the basket, since hard and sticky (i.e. licorice) candies are hard on braces.

 

[mkymouse1928]

Tylenol, tylenol and more tylenol! And maybe some orajel or something for those spots that do get irritated. Maybe gift certificates for a local ice cream place. I remember after getting my braces tightened I could only eat soft foods and my mom would stop and get me an ice cream treat after my orthodontist appointments. Nope, it wasn't the healthiest lunch in the world, but it did take a bit of the "sting" out of my sore mouth.

 

[TheZue]

I'm not sure I'd go with chocolate...the first night I had mine all I could eat was soup. They really do hurt in a deep achey way.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Thanks for the replies. I've never had them, so I'm pretty clueless about what is and isn't allowed. I'm thinking I'll definitely include a Coldstone Creamery gift card....poor child is getting braces AND her boyfriend broke up with her today....not a good New Year.

 

[Kimmumum]

Applesauce, soup and pudding!!!

Also, I don't know about your school district but ours cannot distribute Tylenol without a dr's note and medicin release form. If this is the case, get one filled out for Tylenol "as needed". This way she can go to the nurse when her teeth are shifting, she gets them tightened or they just hurt. This saved me many trips of running up to the school.

Good luck with the braces. One son should get his off in February and the other son gets his on in March At least I'm not paying for them both at the same time

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I don't know how much you want to spend but a water pik is a good idea too. It will help her keep her braces clean without having to brush really hard. (Although she'll be doing that too...).

Anything soft, that isn't sticky or carbonated will be a good idea. I remember not even being able to bite down on a grape. The problem is that often soft things are sugary too, and that isn't the best idea for someone with brace. The last think you want to do is get those braces calcified.

 

[Bluestars]

When my son first got his braces, he didn't feel like eating anything. Maybe some movie passes, spa products, or something not related to food would help cheer her up and take her mind off of her mouth.

 

[HonestAbe]

I've been out of adult braces for a year.

Waterpik was the best investment hands down. Buy a nice one if you have the money to do so. Superfloss was good, but I actually preferred the plastic like toothpicks.

Orthodontia wax. You can get it at pretty much any drug store. It's kind of expensive, but I'd say get like 4 little boxes of the stuff. There's nothing as bad as a wire poking the gums. Okay - there's really worse things...but that was my worst braces experience. It is a must have.

Not sure I agree with the movie pass thing. Popcorn at the movies is tempting and there's nothing worse I found than p-corn in the braces. I would say the cold stone creamery is a good one.

I went with Advil over tylenol, but make sure there's an adequate supply around of that. I was in for maybe 16 mos and I probably went through 2 of the large 100 bottle supplies.

 

[HonestAbe]

Oh - and orajel does help too. Theres a kind now that is in a swab form and that worked really well.

My wife has braces now and I can tell you without any doubt the first night is absolutely the worst. She is NOT going to be happy. I felt like I was crawling out of my skin within 30 minutes of getting them on. I remember vividly as does my wife (just asked her) about the first night and the absolute best thing she can do is have the dental wax on hand and put that on those braces THICK.

It took me a week to wean myself off of was on most of my teeth and a couple additional weeks for the rough areas. It took my wife months to wean off the wax but she was obsessed.

Trust me the best thing you can do is find a way to make sure she puts that wax on the first night. Otherwise it's going to be a very very bad night.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Is she goings straight to braces or is she getting an expander first?

I definitely second the ice cream idea. You want to avoid foods that are hard. Popcorn I remember was banned by my ortho because it can get stuck and if you bit down on an unpopped kernel it can pop your braces. I'm sure there were others, but that is the only one I remember.

Some other things (some of which have already been mentioned

-Tylenol. You might want to tell her to take it before appointments to cut down on the soreness.
-Ice Cream Gift Certificate
-I forget what they're called, but they're soft brush heads you can use to clean between the braces and teeth. They kind of look like mascara brushes.
-Mouth Wash
-Floss picks
-Soup

Something you can do when she is done is give a gift certificate for tooth whitening. It is not uncommon to have an area of discoloration where the braces were. I didn't, but a friend did and I think she got her teeth whitened to help make it less noticeable.

 

[golfgal]

Our orthodontist gives the kids all the wax, brushes, etc. that they would ever need. They are told to stop by and pick up more if they need it between appointments. If her ortho is like that, she won't need any of this stuff. I would go with the pedicure.

All of our kids have had or have braces and none of them really had any major issues with pain. I had them take Advil before they went and every few hours for the first day and they were fine. Every once in a while when they get a new wire their teeth are sore but not bad.