Im just starting my orthodontics and today I had an expander cemented in the top of my mouth =[ It doesnt hurt or anything but I seriously cant eat anything, I almost gag just drinking water or apple sauce. this thing feels hugee and I cant stop feeling gagish..and i dont even have a strong gag reflex..... any one who has this can you tell me how long it took you to be able to eat again lol....??? im worried ill be eating apple sauce, yogurt and pudding for 8 months =/

You'll get used to it. I had an expander years ago when I started my orthodontics process. The first few days were hard, but I started eating regular food almost right away. Once I almost choked on a piece of bacon when it slid between my expander and the top of my mouth, so just be careful not to put enormous pieces of food in your mouth!

Yes I had one many years ago as well! It definately was not fun the first week or so, but you'll get used to it!!! You'll get so used it it, when you eat food, some will get stuck on the bar, so you'll take your tongue to slide it off (at least I did that!) and so when you get the expander taken off, you'll be in the habit of doing that for so long!!

The only thing I HATED about it was it gave me a huge gap in between my two front teeth!

I had one of these too. To make my bite wider & it worked wonderfully! The months I had it on were more than worth it.

I never had a gap between my teeth before & using this created one & then closed it again. Funny how these things work!

Braces are so worth the time & money. Everyone notices other's teeth!

thank for responding! lol i didnt think anyone was going to
yeah iv been trying really hard to eat like mac and cheese and eggs..but the food keeps getting up in my expander and then i choke on it=/
I think for the next week ill stick to apple sauce and that stuff , then try eating again haha...I just keep telling my self the next 6 months will go fast and i will have pretty teeth in the end...

I had an expander for about 1/2 a year back in high school. Food would always get in between the spacing and I would first try to stick my tongue in between to push the food remnants out. If it would not budge then I'll try to flush some water in. But with time you'll get used to it. One thing I could not get used to was to talk normally.

yep i had one a few years ago when i was in like 7th/8th grade. it was hard to get the hang of eating with it for the first few days but after that you get used to it. and it is totally worth it. i finished with my orthodontics treatment a few months ago and my teeth look awesome. your smile is going to be gorgeous!

I just got an my expander put in last night. I feel your pain. I'm currently trying to figure out what I can eat and how i can get rid of this horrid headache. Everyone keeps suggesting ice cream to help my sore teeth. I guess I will try it. ha ha its ok though. I know that all of this will pay off in the end. They told me that I have to have it in for at least 4 mos to 6 mos. Lets hope its not the latter.

Ciao,
Cyn

yeaah i just got an expander yesterday and it sttiiinnks, i cant eat anything without slurping and and getting the food stuck up in it. My family seems to find my new voice quite hilarious.......... >.> hopefully this will get better.

yeah i got mine in yesterday morning, 7/7 D; it doesnt hurt that much anymore
and it doesnt help that they tightened my braces but eat is a pain in the butt.
i tried eating donuts right after, and i wanted to rip it out and i do feel more gaggy now that i do have it. :/ not sure how long im going to have it.

You get used to it. Mine was years ago (I was in first grade and I'm now 25). Just hang in there!

ETA: As others have said, its totally worth it. It may not seem like it now, but I'm so proud of my teeth now as an "adult"

I had one when I was 11 right before I got my braces, but it was on for a year. It feels kind of funny at first, and you have to be careful when you eat sticky things because it can get stuck and just sit on the roof of your mouth but eventually you'll get used to it. The worst part by far is having that thing cranked every morning!! Good luck.

i just got my expander yesterday (monday apr. 30)and i hate it! i need to be able to eat food by friday because i have a banquet to go to and they have amazing food i cant miss out on. can someone help me figure out how to swallow without getting food in my expander??

Originally Posted by JesusismyLIFE

i just got my expander yesterday (monday apr. 30)and i hate it! i need to be able to eat food by friday because i have a banquet to go to and they have amazing food i cant miss out on. can someone help me figure out how to swallow without getting food in my expander??

Hi there! I originaly posted this thread 3 years ago, I just got my braces off last week

You will get use to the expander after a few days...and trust me soon you will forget you have it in. It actually felt weird when I got the expander out after so long. The only thing I would be carefull eating is spaghetti noodles/long noodles because they always go over the top of the expander and made me choke. I stuck to elbow noodles/ziti shape noodles. Theres not really any way to not get food in your expander but I never had an issue getting it out...just swish water in your mouth and "suck" it over your expander. Sorry that that sounds so gross lol but it works

i had one too. it sucked, especially the first week. still have a groove in my tongue from it :(