o the pain

[newbie2904]

I GOT MY BRACES LAST YESTERDAY!!
and as u can tell from the title, the pain is UNBELIEVABLE.
it hurts allooottt, especially when i eat!!
does anybody know an estimate of when the pain may subside? i have an exam next week, and i dont want to be in so much pain at the time!

Thank You!

[Sunny]

Great your treatment has started newbie!

Mostly there's little to no pain, but a few people do have discomfort for a few days to a few weeks.

Take extra care of your mouth ... and rinse with warm salt water as this is soothing. Also if there's any rubbing, make sure you keep the area covered with wax. The wax only needs to be removed when you brush, and this will help your mouth toughen without getting sores.

Good luck!

[Bunny]

hello newbie! I empathise, when I remember back to the beginning of my treatment...oh my goodness the pain! I even fainted due to lack of food! I had seriously had enough of soup and oatmeal by then! I understand I was unlucky but it took me 3 weeks to be able to eat nearly normally. I don't mean to scare you but thought best to be honest. Do keep hydrated, do chew what and when you can and take pain meds if you are able to. Most definitely go easy on yourself its a big change but a good one, pain means movement often enough so you know something is happening! Much love. xx

[newbie2904]

Hey, Thank you for your support and tips
I think i am getting used to the metal in my mouth (i know its only been a day but i think i am improving) Since i am a uni student, i leave home since 8 am to maybe 9 pm. I usually only eat outside (i dont have the time to cook and if do, i will only be eating one meal a day) i only got my braces yesterday, and i already feel like my energy is draining. I dont know what to eat. This morning i got a smoothie (smoothie=breakfast+lunch) for the sake of staying alive. last night i tried to make reeeaaalllyyyy soft broccoli and cauli flower (not sure how to spell) but although they were very soft.. i still need to chew.. it was very painful. Any idea on what i can eat?
And i also just started to use the wax.. the bracket seemed to be attacking my right cheek so i put some wax on it.. worked like a charm
My only bother is the soarness in my mouth.. especially when i eat (i would like to be concious when i do the exam]

Thank You!!

[Bunny]

Hi newbie, so what to eat...

Its hard if you are only eating one meal a day but try pasta, over cooked with tomato sauce, soup-dull but its food! Omelette, scrambled eggs, noodles cut into bits so you can just swallow them if you need to, mash potato, yoghurt's, smoothies etc are great. Risottos if you have the time. Oatmeal in the morning before you leave for Uni will help fill you up-no chewing required! Oh and if you need food on the go try a banana but don't bite into it break it up and put it on your tongue and "smoosh" it. If you need a cheap fill me up during the day perhaps you could take some soup in a Thermos flask so it stays hot and is a little more palatable.
Keep on with the wax and you just have to be imaginative which is a pain when you have other things to worry about but its worth while.

Good luck!! xxxxxxxxx

[Sunny]

Great you're feeling better ... remember your ortho treatment is very new ... and most people adjust quickly ... which hopefully you will to!

Soft foods ... there's loads of choices and loads that will give you plenty of energy, you just need to be pro active and make sure you eat well ... which every person should do. Pasta is a great choice, as is fish, eggs, baked vegies etc. Foods made with milk, jellies etc are also good. Make choices of food that can be cut into small pieces. This allows you to either chew or not ... depending on how you feel. Chewing does improve the blood flow in your gums and therefore will help your teeth to feel better ... so make sure you try to chew many times a day during this phase.

Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water is soothing and should make your mouth feel loads better. Also this will be good for any mouth sores. While your mouth is sore ... rinse 5+ times a day ... and continue doing this till your mouth is feeling wonderful ... and you can start rinsing again at any time if your mouth feels a little sore.

Plus hopefully your mouth is feeling better now you're using wax. Remember it only needs to be removed when you brush!

Good luck with feeling better and your exam!

[Shanster]

Hi there,

i happened to post a question just after yours. I got my braces over a week ago, and it was so painful....and now there is no pain that I'm actually wondering why that is....
so...all I can say is that it gets better - it did for me...I just hope that it is working that's all

[newbie2904]

Thanks everyone for your comments.
All these ideas sound really great, i wouldn't have thought of the soup on the go
This morning i got up with the worst pain. I couldnt even have yoghurt because it was just to painful to move my jaw. So i left without having anything for breakfast. I also didnt have much the night before. By the time i got to class, i was totally drained out of energy. I made it through the first lecture, but i started dosing at the second, luckily the lecturer didnt see me and it was just for a bit. after that i had to go get someething, so i got a smoothie, and that boosted me up for a while. I dont usually take pain killers much, but for this pain i just have to.

Please tell me i dont have to go through this for that long, im going home for christmas and i was hoping to eat more normally than this (there's this type of sushi that ive been craving for for months now).
Ive only had braces for 3 days now (feels like a week) i think my mouth is kind of adjusting to the metal but the pain still exists, I hope the pain goes away as soon as yours did shanster, i think i may handle a week of this! i dont think that becasue you dont have any pain that the braces arent working (the pain has to go sooner or later) I guess your teeth are now adjusted to the braces, so no more paaaiiin Don't stress about it, you've finally got through the first week of pain, the rest should be easy

[Sunny]

Newbie you've got to take responsibility for making sure you have sufficient food. Plus you must have food before taking pain meds, or you can do horrible damage to your stomach and digestive tact.

Most people get over this quickly ... so get positive ... and be confident this will also happen for you.

During the night, are you clenching or grinding? As this could be causing you more jaw pain. If you think you are, please talk to your ortho about this, as there's meds and exercises to help reduce stress etc.

Good luck ... get organised and make sure you have liquid/soft foods available at all times until you're coping better!

[newbie2904]

Hi there again,
I think it's the position i sleep in is the reason my jaw is so soar int he morning. I kind of sleep with my jaw pressing down on the pillow ( i know its wierd, its kind of hard to explain) I am going to start taking painkillers before i sleep, this may help.
I stocked up on soft foods, so things shouldnt be so hard anymore
Just one more question, i have the braces to gaps between my upper teeth. the gaps on the left are larger than the gaps on the left. i was just wondering, since the same pressure is applied to all the teeth, my teeth on the right will reach the right position sooner than the left. So what happens then? will the same amount of pressure be applied to both side, wont that cause the right side get much closer than the left. Wont that look wierd (i will try to upload my before pictures soon)
Thank You

[Sunny]

Newbie there's quite a bit of science involved in moving teeth ... and it's related to the shape of the archwire and how your ortho uses these archwires and other bits and pieces like powerchains, elastics etc. You may feel like there's more pressure in one area, but that doesn't mean that area will move faster or slower than another. Plus if this should happen, it won't matter ... as remember during ortho treatment your mouth is a 'work in progress'!

Plus ... make sure you eat before taking pain killers! Good luck with your sleeping comfort!

[newbie2904]

Thanks sunny for your reply!
I dont mean that one side seems to be moving faster. My worry is that the gaps on the right side is smaller than the one on the left. So if my teeth both move at the same rate, wont my right gaps be filled faster (since theyre smaller) than the gaps on the left? well i will have to keep the braces for long enough to fill the left gaps.. wont that affect my right side teeth which reached their right position earlier?
sorry if ive been unclear before or i misunderstood your comment!
cheers!

[Sunny]

That's what I meant newbie ... teeth move at different rates, so it doesn't mean that one side will move faster or slower ... or the same. Also if one side does close sooner than the other, it won't matter, as there's still work that needs to be done. Plus if your teeth in one area to get to a place which is right for them, the archwire won't adjust them any more and you then have to wait will everything else catches up.

Please remember that the visable movement is usually the least of the work that needs to be done.

Good luck!