Functional brace

[BadWool]

DD, 13, has had her functional brace (double block) fitted last Tuesday. I've read a lot of threads on here about this and I can see that most kids struggle at first but then adapt over 1-2 weeks. I have a few questions further though:

1. One of the main things that dd is worried about is the angle at which the brace is pushing. It makes her chin jut out a lot and puts her top and bottom teeth in a direct line with each other rather than the bottom being slightly behind. Is this correct? What sort of profile will she be left with as if it looks like she does with the brace in she would rather not continue.
   

1. Eating. She literally can't eat as there is no space for food between the top and bottom so can only eat food she can 'mush' on the roof of her mouth. So far fishcakes have been the only thing and so she's taking them out to eat. Not ideal but a compromise I can live with. But what about at school? Do kids take them out at lunchtime? It seems quite awkward.
   

1. Any tips on any kind of foods to avoid in particular?
   

After starting determinedly, today she's thinking of quitting and I'm hoping to dissuade her.

[Kim82]

My Ds has had block braces for 12 months now. When he first started wearing them I thought his jaw looked much too far forward but it looks much better now he is nearing the end of the block brave treatment (he had around 2-3 months left to go).

He takes his braces out to eat too, he always has as he cant chew anything with them in. He had a small, plastic brace case to put them in when he takes them out so they don't get lost/dirty.

Ds doesn't avoid any food as he doesn't eat with them in. He doesn't like sweets anyway (strange boy) so no need to worry about sticky bits in his teeth sticking to the braces when they go back in.

You've probably been told about this but Ds uses a product called "retainer bright" to keep the braces nice and clean as they can get manky pretty quickly. That stuff gets them sparkly clean and only takes 10 minutes.

I hope your dd gets used to them quickly. Ds hardly even notices them any more and says he feels weird when he takes them out.

[BadWool]

Thanks Kim. Being a 13-year-old girl seeing yourself with a very weird looking face isn't easy. She's worried about teasing at school. Could you let me know roughly when your ds's jaw stopped looking ridiculously far forward?

[Kim82]

Ds was 13 when he had his fitted too but he's never had any teasing or bullying at school. Braces are so common now it's not worth teasing for as so many kids have them.

I'd say it was around two months before his jaw started looking better. His bottom jaw was quite far back naturally so he looked really strange when it was first fitted and his jaw was brought forwards but he (and us) got used to it very quickly and his jawline looks really good now - he just needs the teeth straightening now so will have train track braces once the blocks are finished with.

It's not nice having to watch them go through it all but they do work very quickly - he's had it in 13 months - so it's worth the discomfort for a relatively short period of time for the end result.

[BadWool]

Thanks again. Dd's jaw didn't look particularly far back to start off with and now it looks too far forwards; she really hates the look of it. Imagine if you line up your top and bottom teeth so the edges are touching - that's how far forward her jaw is, kind of like a gurning face. I'm trying to get her to stick with it though and I just spoke to the orthodontist who said it's fine to take them out to eat so long as it's not much more than 15 mins each time.

[BadWool]

Any other advice?