My kiddo is on round two of braces (lucky us), and every adjustment turns into a hunt for “foods that don’t require chewing.” Last time, she tried a veggie smoothie and, honestly, it was like drinking cold soup—she was not impressed. She’s also constantly raiding the fridge after an adjustment, even though eating hurts. I think it’s just her body being mad at the world. Oh, and the headaches—she swears her eyebrows hurt. Didn’t know that was possible, but here we are.
Eyebrow pain sounds strange, but I’ve had aches spread up into my forehead and temples after adjustments—guess the nerves all connect somehow. About the food, have you tried plain Greek yogurt or mashed potatoes? I never managed to drink smoothies either, they just don’t fill me up. Does she like pudding or scrambled eggs? Sometimes I think the hunger is worse than the pain itself.
That’s wild, I thought I was the only one with pain in weird spots. After my first tightening, I got this dull ache right above my eyes, almost like a sinus headache but different. It freaked me out, honestly—does it ever stop feeling so random? About food, I totally get you on the smoothies. I tried them for breakfast and just ended up hangry by lunch. Scrambled eggs are my go-to, but sometimes even chewing those feels like a workout. Does anyone else feel exhausted just from eating?
That ache above your eyes is actually something I hear about more often than you'd think. It’s wild how braces can mess with pain in places you wouldn’t expect. The nerves in your face are all pretty connected, so sometimes when your teeth are moving, you get weird pressure or aches in your head, jaw, or even ears. It’s not fun, but it does usually settle down as you get used to each adjustment. The randomness does get a little less intense over time, but honestly, it can still surprise you now and then.
About the food thing—totally hear you. Smoothies are fine for like a day, but after that, I just want to chew something. Scrambled eggs are a solid choice, but yeah, there were days when even that felt like too much effort. I remember feeling wiped out after a meal, like I’d just run a marathon with my jaw. It’s weirdly tiring when chewing hurts. Some people find oatmeal or really soft pasta helps on the worst days. I even tried mashed sweet potatoes once... not exactly gourmet, but it worked.
If it helps, the exhaustion from eating usually fades as your mouth gets used to the pressure. The first couple of tightenings are always the worst. After a few months, your teeth and gums sort of “toughen up” a bit, and you don’t feel quite so beat up after every meal. Hang in there—it does get easier, even if it seems like your mouth has a mind of its own right now.
I get what you’re saying about things getting easier, but honestly, for me the pain never totally faded between tightenings. The first couple days after each adjustment were always a struggle, no matter how “used to it” I thought I was. Even soft foods got old fast, and I started making big batches of cheap soup—lentils, potatoes, whatever was on sale. Way more budget-friendly than smoothies or protein shakes, and it lasted a few days. Not gourmet either, but hey, it worked and didn’t kill my wallet.