THE BEST FOODS AND TREATMENTS FOR SORE TEETH
Patients often wonder, do braces hurt? Will Invisalign® aligners cause pain? The answer is, no, you should never feel real Invisalign or braces pain. However, when you first start treatment and sometimes following braces adjustments or after putting in a new set of clear aligners, your teeth and jaws can feel a little sensitive.
Thankfully, there are a lot of great soft foods for sore teeth that taste good and will give you the nutrients and energy you need without causing discomfort. While we’re focusing on soft foods to eat with braces or Invisalign, our suggestions will also work great if you have actual pain, such as in the case of a toothache or after oral surgery.
When you start treatment, have adjustments or wear new aligners, the discomfort you feel will be mild and it will go away on its own in a few days. However, there are things you can do to help manage sensitivity in the meantime, including:
- Making a salt water rinse (½ teaspoon of salt dissolved into eight ounces of warm water) and swishing it around in your mouth before spitting it out. Repeat as often as necessary.
- Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever according to the manufacturer’s/doc-tor’s instructions. You can take whatever you’d use for a headache.
- Knowing the foods to avoid with braces and steering clear of them, which includes anything really hard, chewy or sticky. These types of foods can dam-age your appliance. Additionally, eating really hard food that requires a ton of chewing won’t feel great on sensitive teeth, so even Invisalign wearers may want to avoid these types of foods when they first start treatment.
- Trying the soft foods for sore teeth listed below. As we mentioned before, sticking with soft foods, as well as cold foods and drinks for the first few days after getting braces or starting Invisalign treatment will be super helpful.
Okay, now on to the good stuff. Here are some of the best soft foods for braces or Invisalign patients who are experiencing sensitivity, or anyone with sore teeth:
- Oatmeal/Hot Cereal
- Scrambled eggs
- Pancakes/French Toast
- Yogurt
- Applesauce
- Cooked fruit
- Fruit cups/very ripe fruit cut small
- 100% fruit juice with no sugar added
- Soft sandwich bread
- Peanut butter
- Egg salad, chicken salad or tuna salad
- Cooked beans or refried beans
- Meatloaf
- Soft-cooked, shredded or ground meat
- Tofu/Cooked tempeh
- Mashed potatoes
- Steamed or cooked vegetables
- Couscous/Rice/Quinoa
- Macaroni and cheese
- Pasta and noodles
- Soft cheeses
- Soup with soft vegetables
- Avocado
- Hummus
- Soft tortilla shells (steam or microwave them first)
- Smoothies
- Protein shakes
- Ice cream and sorbet
- Pudding and custard
- Jell-O
Now that you know the foods you can eat with braces or Invisalign, we thought we’d share some orthodontist-approved soft food recipes for sore teeth:
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Over-night Oats from Eating With Clarity – These overnight oats are simple to make and you’ll wake up to a nutritious, delicious breakfast that’s easy on your teeth. If you’re allergic to peanuts, try an alternative nut butter.
- Gordon Ramsay’s Scrambled Eggs – These take a little more hands-on work but they’re well worth the effort. This leads to the tastiest, softest scrambled eggs, making them ideal for sensitive teeth (or just Sunday breakfast).
- Banana Spinach Protein Smoothie from Garnish With Lemon – Cover all of your nutritional bases even if you’re not chewing as much as you normally do. This green smoothie fits the bill. It has fruit, veggies, protein, and calcium, and you won’t taste the spinach!
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta from Two Peas & Their Pod – This makes a healthy, creamy and surprisingly decadent sauce. To make this dish even easier to chew, you can swap out the linguine for a smaller pasta like elbow macaroni.
Hopefully this will help you continue to eat the foods you love even if your mouth is feeling sensitive. Happy eating and a healthy smile to you!
Source: https://www.houstonortho.com/the-best-soft-foods-for-braces-and-invisalign-pa-tients-with-recipes/
