That tortilla chip story made me laugh—my nephew did the same thing with a pretzel rod. You’d think we’d all learn after the first “crunch disaster,” but nope. I totally relate to the popsicle stash too. In our house, it’s all about those mini ice cream cups, even if it means a little extra brushing later.
Funny enough, my own weird go-to was biting on a baby teether (the kind you stick in the fridge). It looked odd, but it was soft enough not to hurt and the cold worked wonders. My orthodontist actually suggested it after I complained about wax tasting like crayons.
Distraction is huge, especially for kids. I remember making up silly “braces songs” with my niece just to get her giggling instead of focusing on her mouth. It’s definitely a journey—sometimes painful, sometimes just strange—but finding those little comfort tricks makes such a difference.
My orthodontist actually suggested it after I complained about wax tasting like crayons.
That crayon wax taste is the worst, right? I used to just ditch the wax and stick with ice water. Not as creative as a teether, but it numbed things for a bit. Popsicles too, but I always ended up with blue lips. Distraction’s key though—video games worked better than “braces songs” for me, but whatever keeps your mind off it.
I swear, that wax taste haunted me for months. I kept telling myself it was “just in my head,” but nope, it really does taste like old crayons. I tried ice water too, but honestly, I got so paranoid about biting down and accidentally cracking a bracket that I’d just kind of swish it around and spit it out. Popsicles were a little better, but then my teeth would ache from the cold after a while.
Distraction definitely helped, but I was always nervous about eating or drinking anything that might mess up my wires. Did anyone else get super anxious about food getting stuck, or is that just me? I remember one time I tried chewing on a clean, cold washcloth (weird, I know), and it actually helped a bit with the soreness.
Has anyone here tried those silicone mouth guards for sports, just to cushion things at night? I’m curious if that’s better than wax, but I’m worried it might make things worse.
I totally get the anxiety about food getting stuck—honestly, I still have nightmares about spinach. For me, wax was always a last resort because of that weird taste and texture. I tried a sports mouth guard one night but woke up feeling like my teeth were being squeezed even more. Maybe it’s just me, but it felt tighter than the braces themselves. Has anyone else noticed certain foods actually help with the pain? I found that cold yogurt was soothing, but anything crunchy was a no-go.
I tried a sports mouth guard one night but woke up feeling like my teeth were being squeezed even more.
That’s wild—I actually tried the same thing and it felt like my entire jaw was in a vice. Not sure if it was the material or just the fit, but I ditched that pretty quick. I know cold yogurt is popular, but for me, popsicles did the trick. Something about the sustained cold seemed to “reset” the pain sensors. Crunchy food, though? Instant regret. I swear tortilla chips are engineered to find every bracket and wire.