I totally relate to the scarf trick—my son went through a phase where he wouldn’t leave the house without one, even indoors sometimes. The ear pain thing threw me for a loop at first, but our ortho said it’s not uncommon since everything’s shifting and nerves get cranky. We lived on smoothies and soft pasta for ages. I remember thinking, “Is this just our new normal?” But it does get easier once you find your go-to foods. Hang in there... the creativity with meals is half the battle.
The ear pain thing threw me for a loop at first, but our ortho said it’s not uncommon since everything’s shifting and nerves get cranky.
That ear pain part really has me second-guessing what’s “normal” with braces. My daughter mentioned her jaw felt sore, but then she started complaining about this weird tingling in her cheek—almost like when your foot falls asleep. I thought it was just the pressure from the wires, but now I’m not so sure. Did anyone else have that kind of tingling or numbness? Is that just another nerve thing? It’s hard not to worry when it’s their face.
We’re also getting into this rut where she only wants cold things because she says the cold helps, but then her teeth are sensitive to cold, too. It’s like there’s no winning. The scarf trick is cute, but my kid keeps layering up with hoodies instead—even at home. I keep wondering if I should be more worried about all these “side effects,” or if I’m just being overly anxious.
I know you said your ortho reassured you about ear pain, but what about headaches? She says her head hurts after every tightening, and sometimes it lasts a couple days. Is that pretty standard? Or is that something we should actually call about? I don’t want to be the parent who calls the office for every little thing, but I also don’t want to miss something important.
And the food thing—yes to smoothies and soft pasta! We’ve been living on mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs over here. Every time she tries something chewy, it’s a disaster. Does that phase really pass? Or are we stuck with this soft-food menu for the next year?
Sorry for all the questions... just trying to figure out what’s actually normal here and what might be a red flag.
That tingling feeling is actually something my kid went through too, especially in the first few months. Our ortho said it’s usually nerves adjusting to all the shifting, but if it gets worse or doesn’t fade after a day or two, they wanted us to call. Headaches after tightening seem pretty common—mine had them for a day or so each time, and we just did Tylenol and lots of water. The soft-food phase does get better, but it was a solid few months before she could handle anything chewy without complaining. We stuck with budget-friendly stuff like oatmeal, bananas, and yogurt to keep costs down. It’s definitely a weird adjustment period, but most of it seemed to pass on its own.
That’s good to know about the tingling being nerves adjusting—I always thought it was something I did wrong. My biggest issue is the headaches, honestly. I tried Tylenol and water like you mentioned, but sometimes it still knocks me out for half a day. Did your kid ever have jaw pain too, or was it just headaches? I’m also curious if anyone found a cheap way to make soft foods less boring... I’m getting pretty tired of applesauce and instant mashed potatoes.
Headaches are definitely the worst part for me too—sometimes it feels like my whole face is pulsing. I’ve had a bit of jaw pain, especially after they tighten things up, but it usually fades after a couple days. Is your pain more in the joints or just an all-over ache? I can’t tell if mine’s from clenching at night or just the braces doing their thing.
About soft foods... I’m so over applesauce, honestly. I tried blending canned soups and adding shredded cheese for some flavor, but it still gets old fast. Anyone ever tried making smoothies with veggies instead of fruit? Or is that just asking for sadness in a cup? Also, does anyone else get weirdly hungry all the time after adjustments, or am I just thinking about food because everything else hurts?
