We’ve had the wax vs silicone debate at our house too. My kid hates the wax—just melts away with hot food, like you said. Silicone’s a bit of a pain to get on, but it actually stays put. Drying the bracket first is key, but honestly, sometimes we just wing it with a napkin and hope for the best. Eating with braces really does feel like a weird challenge show some days...
Eating with braces really does feel like a weird challenge show some days...
Totally get that vibe. I’ve actually used a piece of bread as an emergency buffer when my wire started poking mid-bite. Not the most elegant fix, but hey, desperate times... Silicone’s tricky but worth it if you can get it to stick.
That bread trick is genius, honestly. I always kept a wad of wax in my pocket but half the time it would just fall off if I tried to eat. The poking wires are the worst, especially when you’re out and can’t do much about it... Been there way too often.
I always kept a wad of wax in my pocket but half the time it would just fall off if I tried to eat.
Yeah, we ran into that too. My kid would go through so much wax, and it never seemed to stay put when she needed it most—especially if she was eating something warm. She started carrying a little pack of soft bread in her lunchbox after we heard about the bread trick here. It’s not perfect, but honestly, it’s saved her from a lot of pokes during school.
The worst is when the wire gets you right at bedtime... We ended up keeping nail clippers (the orthodontist said it was fine for emergencies) in the bathroom just in case. Not ideal, but better than her losing sleep over it. Sometimes you just have to improvise until you get back in for an adjustment.
- Wax never lasted more than a few bites for me either, especially with anything hot (soup = instant fail).
- Bread trick is genius, but I always ended up eating it by accident... oops.
- Midnight wire pokes are the worst. I tried using a pencil eraser once—don’t recommend unless you like weird flavors.
- Anyone else ever just bend the wire with a spoon or something random when you’re desperate? Wondering if that’s just me or if we’re all MacGyver-ing our way through braces.