Braces

[Fedupsotired]

Dd had these fitted but when she bites down her top set of teeth hit the bottom set of braces. It's impossible for her to close her mouth to chew so she is (understandably) getting hangry and upset that she can't eat anything.

We'll phone the dentist tomorrow but in the meantime any ideas to try. We've got soup. She can't even eat porridge as she can't chew that either.

I do feel for her.

Bump

I think that’s fairly normal, make the food really soft and cut it into tiny pieces

Have they only just been put in?

Cos this happened to me, basically it gets better after a week or so, but til then i was on soup or mash

I was really worried at the time

DA had some kind of blocks put in to stop this (or his top incisors would have knocked the bottom brackets off!) Took a few minutes and fixed it so he could chew. But the first couple of weeks were all about soup because of the discomfort anyway.

DS (not DA)

@RufustheFloralmissingreindeer she can't even manage mash and porridge due to being unable to close her mouth. I think if she could do that she'd be ok as she loves mash and gravy! The bottom set of braces are stopping her top set of teeth closing so her molars have a gap which means she can't manage anything other than liquid, is that normal?

@SaberToothKitten

DA had some kind of blocks put in to stop this (or his top incisors would have knocked the bottom brackets off!) Took a few minutes and fixed it so he could chew. But the first couple of weeks were all about soup because of the discomfort anyway.

@SaberToothKitten I think that's what she needs put in. Ironically they don't actually hurt it's just not being able to chew at all which is causing her distress, she doesn't do hungry at the best of times!

It isn’t unusual, it’s a way of reducing the overbite

@Jjjaaakkk

It isn’t unusual, it’s a way of reducing the overbite

@Jjjaaakkk so how long will she not be able to chew at all? I didn't think it was usual to not be able to close your mouth due to braces clashing?

Dd had stuff put on her back molars to stop her top teeth hitting her bottom brace, worked well

@MegCleary

Dd had stuff put on her back molars to stop her top teeth hitting her bottom brace, worked well

This

Its perfectly normal but it certainly wasn’t explained to me at the time

I spent the weekend worrying before ringing the dentist and then another couple of days complaining about it til it settled down

And it happened again when the braces were adjusted….but onky once ir twice

Its honestly a pain but it does get better

I sucked the mash down 😟

It depends on how big the gap between the molars is. Sometimes it’s just a week. I would definitely check with your dentist though, I would be surprised if he’s unaware the gap exists!
If Dd is really not coping, as other readers have said, there are some temporary things that could be done.
In the meantime… runny mash with lots of gravy, soup, ice cream. Watch out for the frequency of sugar though

Ask the orthodontist about temporary bite blocks (they may have another name). That's what DC2 had when fixed braces were first fitted. It was still too painful initially to eat much more than pouches of baby food but the blocks did a good job of training up the jaws.

Give her lots of sympathy as she’s struggling, it’s really not easy, but she will adapt

@Jjjaaakkk I am being very kind- I bought her a McFlurry with no bits today 🤣.

@MegCleary @RufustheFloralmissingreindeer yes I'm just so surprised she hasn't got the cement as DD1 had it so I was expecting that. It just seems odd they let her leave know she couldn't close her mouth properly without the braces hitting!!

it just seems odd they let her leave know she couldn't close her mouth properly without the braces hitting!!

I really hope it works quickly for her 🤞

It's possible that your DD needs (as did I) not just elementary 'straightening' work, but quite significant maxillofacial restructuring, where the position of the lower jaw is moved over a period of months or sometimes even years.

It's unfortunate that this wasn't explained properly to you or her at the time (I blame bloody Instagram and Invisalign for fooling people into thinking orthodontics is a straightforward quick fix).

Go back to your DD's orthodontist and ask for a treatment plan - ideally, a full, in-person breakdown of what will happen and roughly when.

In the short term, buy a stick blender!

We did soup wheatabix and farleys rusk. That’s all he could eat for a while

Salmon and mash was our go to with brace discomfort.

Another who agrees that it is sold as a quick fix but for many it isn't. My dd needed major work due to over bite, had same issue as you. They do learn to eat differently It just takes time.

@Paranoidandroidmarvin ooh rusks is a good idea, I know they are sugary but may go down well.

She managed to eat mashed potato with broccoli (over cooked) and gravy mixed into a soup consistency. I think she feels a bit better having eaten something. She broke down in tears as she didn't sleep last night and is so worried that she won't sleep again as she moved her mouth in the night and it really hurt. I don't think the lack of sleep is helping.

I think you are right that this won't be a quick fix, to be fair the orthodontist did say that she had to try this for 2 years and there may be some further things that need doing.

I also bought some of those weetabix drinks they do and she drank one of those, I would normally give anything like that a wide birth but they have protein and fibre so thought they were worth a shout.

Thanks all for your help

She's also managed to eat the middle of a melting gu pot 🤣🤣