Getting braces tomorrow!

[Denise]

Hi all! I'm 30 years old, and am getting ceramic braces put on tomorrow. This is my first ever dental procedure other than a standard filling and cleaning and I'm pretty nervous. I've spent the last few days doing tons of research on the best toothbrushes, waterpik, foods to avoid, etc...but mainly am looking forward to sharing my journey with others who are experiencing the same thing I am. I am the only one in my family who has ever gotten them, so I feel somewhat alone in this. Any advice you can share with me is appreciated...thanks!

[Zoso]

Stay hydrated, and ask your ortho to give you plenty of wax to get going - and don't be afraid to use it if those brackets should start to rub the inside of your mouth.

As to foods, I don't really think that, as a responsible adult, you need to avoid any entirely. There may be some that you decide are more trouble than they're worth to you. And there are others where you will need to be more careful than you would be without braces. But with appropriate levels of care (and oral hygiene) you should be able to eat what you want.

[vegasbraceface7]

I just got braces yesterday, it went well. Don't be nervous, it goes by really fast. Its really weird at first but not so bad. Im on my second day and I've read that it should be hurting. It only hurts when I apply pressure on my teeth and if I bite down. I'm really happy to finally have braces and I'm 20 years old! haha.

[Zoso]

You should find that even that discomfort fades pretty soon. For the most part of the time, for most patients, braces are not a particularly painful experience. The worst part tends often to be dealing with the initial sores that can come as the brackets rub the inside of the mouth. But even that is something that is temporary for most folks.

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome Denise and Vegas!

Getting braces is quite a simple process for most people and also it's usually painfree with minimal discomfort. If your mouth does get a little sore, then an over the counter pain med should quickly help with that.

Drinking plenty of water to keep your body well hydrated is great advice, also extra lip balm will help your lips glide over your brackets as your mouth adjusts to these strangers. If you feel any part of a bracket start to rub the inside of your mouth, cover it generously with wax. The wax will allow your cheek to toughen, without the risk of a mouthsore forming. Warm salt water rinses are also useful for soothing the inside of your mouth. We recommend our patients rinse once a day with this mixture - a pinch (less than a 1/4 teaspoon) of salt and a small amount of warm tap water.

Orthodontic treatment should not be a painful process, as the archwires used today, move teeth slowly ... which is best for your gums, teeth and comfort. People do experience pain/discomfort differently, and for some there may be some pain, but usually it passes quickly.

Eating ... we tell adults to use commonsense and to eat whatever they want to eat. We ask all patients to not eat hard food for four hours, but then to return to eating as they normally would, as quickly as possible. Our younger patients we ask to avoid eating hard, chewy foods and foods high in sugar. Mostly this is to help them with the cleaning of their teeth and around the brackets. We do tell our patients they can chew sugar free chewing gum, the type that states it doesn't stick to dental work.

Hopefully your ortho or ortho assistant will give you a talk about what you should and shouldn't do, and how to clean your teeth and brackets. We have handouts, plus we show our patients how to brush and floss and get them to practise both in front of us, to make sure they understand. Flossing is usually much slower to begin with, but with practise it improves. We recommend using oral b superfloss and give some samples to get our patients started.

All the best to your both with your treatments!

[Denise]

Thanks everyone! The braces are on now...it was relatively quick. More annoying than anything. No pain. Got the top and bottom brackets on, and the bottom wire. I need two teeth extracted (one wisdom and one on the side) and then a week later the top wire will go on. I'm really committed to doing everything I can get these suckers moving so I can get the braces off that much quicker!!

[Sunny]

Great that your treatment has started Denise!

Watch your top arch, as brackets without a wire can be really annoying to the inside of your mouth, as there's nothing to protect the mouth from the 'whole' bracket. Plenty of wax while your mouth toughens and warm salt water rinses will hopefully make this time a lot easier.

Love your attitude to being so committed to getting your treatment done ... and done well!

[Denise]

Thanks everyone! It's day 2 now and I'm in a lot more pain but it's just one of those things where I'll have to "suck it up and press on" (being an Army wife has taught me how to do this quite well). My cheeks are really sore, and it hurts to put any pressure on the teeth themselves. Chewing solids is impossible. I'm very slowly chewing gum this morning in hopes of at least keeping my mouth moving to alleviate pain a bit quicker. Cheeks are all scratched up on the inside - can't get the wax to stay on the bracket. It keeps falling out and sticking to my teeth. Oral surgery next week and then a week later the top wire goes on and then let the movement begin!

[Sunny]

Sorry to read about your pain Denise. Be generous with the amount of wax you put on the brackets, as this seems to help it stay in place. There are topical gels that work fine with mouth sores. The best usually have a numbing and antiseptic affect. Also warm salt water rinses, as often as you can during the day, should help soothe your mouth and heal the sore spots.

Here's to things improving quickly!