Take over-the-counter pain relief medicine – Take pain killers right before you go in for your appointment to get the braces tightened. The medicine will start working much before your pain starts. A single dose of pain killer is good enough to mitigate the slight discomfort and braces pain. However, ensure you discuss with your orthodontist before taking medicine.
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What helps with braces pain first day?
Dealing With Soreness/Pain – Remember, all pain and/or discomfort associated with your braces is temporary and can be managed. Over-the-counter pain medications and wax can relieve any soreness after your braces are placed and following any adjustments.
How can I eat with braces the first week?
5 Tips for Surviving Your First Week with Braces The hardest part about getting braces is making it through the first week. Your body is getting used to the strange, new pieces of metal in your mouth, and you probably feel a little sore at first. Once you get through the first week, you’re well on your way to a beautifully straight smile.
In order to help you feel more comfortable with your braces, here’s a list of five tips for surviving the first week: 1. Be prepared leaving the orthodontics office After getting your braces, don’t leave the office until you’ve talked about the following items:
Check wire ends. Use your finger and tongue to make sure the wires aren’t extending into areas that might poke your cheeks or run into your tongue the wrong way. Understand next steps. Make sure you ask plenty of questions to make sure you know what you’re supposed to do before your next appointment, which could include wearing headgear, using elastics, following specific hygiene recommendations, and more. Double check your supplies. Ask for plenty of dental wax, cleaning aids, elastic bands, or other related materials you may need before your next orthodontist appointment.
2. Be careful what you eat with braces It’s okay to eat as soon as you leave the office, but we highly suggest only eating softer foods the first few days while your mouth and teeth adjust. Stick to pasta, seedless bread, soft veggies, pudding, soup, yogurt, etc.
- After about three or four days, the soreness will start to go away and you can graduate to more solid foods, but always steer clear of gum with sugar in it.
- Gum with sugar in it can cause damage to your teeth and braces.3.
- Use wax to fight sores in your mouth Brackets are designed to be gentle on your mouth, but they can rub on the soft skin in your mouth and cause irritation while you’re still getting used to them.
Over time, your skin will toughen and you won’t continue to get sore spots. Until then, it’s a good idea to use the wax we provide to ease any discomfort.4. Rinse your mouth with saltwater If you’re experiencing significant irritation, we suggest rinsing your mouth out with a solution of warm salt water five or six times a day for 30 seconds each time.
Add half a teaspoon of table salt to one cup of warm water. The salt water will help relieve pain and allow sores areas to heal faster.5. Always practice good oral hygiene Use the toothbrush you’re given to clean your teeth after every meal, and be sure to get the food that might get stuck in your brackets.
Don’t forget to follow your normal routine of brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing on a regular basis. Getting into these habits early on in your journey with braces will help ensure that you don’t encounter any problems down the road. Each person adapts to the discomfort of braces differently, but following these steps will make your journey to straight teeth much more enjoyable.
How soon after braces can I eat?
General guidelines following placement of your braces: –
- The adhesive we use to secure the brackets to your teeth will dry very quickly but can take up to 24 hours to fully set. It is fine to eat right after you leave our office. However, we recommend that you stick with softer foods for the first few days as you get used to eating with your new braces.
- There are some foods that are never okay to eat while wearing braces. Please avoid eating hard or sticky foods during your orthodontic treatment, and never chew on ice as it can damage both your teeth in addition to your braces. These foods can damage your braces, causing you to need additional appointments and potentially extending your overall treatment time. Be sure to follow all guidelines you receive from our office.
- If spots on your cheek become particularly irritated, you can place dental wax over the bracket in the area to allow the tissue to heal.
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day – after breakfast and after dinner. For the first few days, check your braces in the mirror after brushing to ensure that you have removed all food particles. For a child with braces, it can be helpful for an adult to check the braces after the child brushes just to make sure that the braces have been cleaned thoroughly. There may be one or two spots that the child might frequently miss, and if these are identified right away, the child can develop good, thorough brushing habits from the start.
- Most patients are only sore for a few days following placement of braces and do not need medication for pain. If soreness is a problem, however, you can take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (such as Advil or Motrin) as long as you do not have any allergies to these types of medicine. Please check with your physician if you have special needs or if there are other medications that need to be taken into consideration.
Does braces cause weight loss?
3. Weight loss – This is one of the most unexpected side effects of wearing braces. Some patients report losing weight as the result of better food choices. When you’re wearing braces, snacking between meals becomes a lot more effort. This might lead you to cut out unhealthy between-meal snacks to help keep your braces clean.
What happens the first week of braces?
At Houston Orthodontic Specialists, we’re all about using the most up-to-date, high-tech treatment options to ensure your experience in braces or Invisalign® is as quick, effective and painless as possible. While we’ll help you breeze right through treatment and soon you’ll forget you’re even wearing braces, there is an adjustment period.
Get a Head Start on First Day Braces Discomfort
Patients often ask, do braces hurt? The answer is, no, they do not. While you may experience some minor discomfort, you won’t feel any actual braces pain. The sensitivity is mild and goes away in a few days. You can get a jump on this by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever right before your bonding appointment or prior to adjustments.
Stock Up on Braces-Friendly Food and Drinks
We’ll fill you in on what to eat with braces the first week and beyond at your consultation. Your first day with braces or even your first several days, your teeth will be sensitive as we said, so sticking with soft foods and cold drinks is your best bet.
Things like mashed potatoes, smoothies, applesauce, soup, pudding, yogurt, ice cream and ice water are great options. Cold beverages have the added bonus of numbing your mouth. Once you are acclimated to your braces, you can go back to eating most of the foods you love. However, you will want to avoid really hard, sticky or chewy foods like caramel, toffee, popcorn, hard bagels, tough meats, nuts and pizza crust or anything that can damage your braces.
You also shouldn’t bite or tear directly into foods like raw apples and carrots or corn on the cob. Instead, strip corn off the cob and cut foods into small, bite-sized pieces and chew with your back teeth. Once you’re back into the swing of eating your normal fare, here are some of the best foods we typically recommend to our Houston, TX braces patients: o Soft breads such as sandwich breads, pancakes and tortillas o Soft cheese, yogurt, ice cream and other dairy o Pasta and grains, including quinoa, rice, couscous, barley and noodles o Steamed veggies o Fork-tender meats o Peanut butter o Stew and soup o Fruit cups o Applesauce o Ripe fruits o Fish sticks or soft-cooked fish o Hummus o Egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad o Pudding o Tofu o Guacamole o Beans o Cold drinks such as smoothies, milkshakes and ice water
Embrace Salt Water Rinses and Orthodontic Relief Wax
During your first week with braces, you may experience some irritation on the inside of your lips and cheeks. Your mouth will toughen up and after a while, your brackets and wires won’t bother you anymore. During the acclimation period, you can relieve the irritation with a salt water rinse,
Become a Pro at Brushing and Flossing with Braces
One of the things that will feel the strangest during your first week with braces is brushing and flossing around the brackets and wires. Just as with everything else, we promise you will quickly get used to it. We’ll show you how to brush and floss correctly but here are some basic tips for braces wearers: o Brush your teeth in the morning, after meals and snacks and before bed for at least three minutes each session using a non-whitening, fluoride toothpaste.
- If you’re out and about and you forget to bring your toothbrush, simply rinse your mouth out well before eating and then brush as soon as you get home.
- O Using a soft-bristled toothbrush and moderate pressure, tilt the brush at a 45-degree angle and brush along the top and bottom of your brackets.
- Be sure to give your gum line plenty of attention too.
Get all of the surfaces of each and every tooth and behind your molars. o Floss once daily. You may find an orthodontic flosser or a floss threader makes the process a whole lot easier, especially during those first days with braces. Get in between any set of teeth and floss up and down the side of each tooth all the way up to your gums before moving on to the next set of teeth.
Don’t Panic if Your Teeth Feel Loose
A little known fact about braces is that your teeth can feel loose during treatment. We know this can cause patients to panic! Don’t worry though; your teeth won’t fall out. It’s actually completely normal. The teeth have to loosen in order to move into their new positions. When your treatment is over, they’ll lock into place.
Learn How to Handle Braces Emergencies
First, we have to say, a true braces emergency is extremely rare. However there can be some minor discomforts and mishaps. Knowing how to handle them at home can help you feel more confident during those first days in braces and throughout your entire treatment.
- Here are a few common ones: o Soreness – As we mentioned earlier, your teeth can feel sore after you first get your braces on and following adjustments.
- Again, sticking with soft foods and cold drinks will work wonders.
- You can also use a saltwater rinse or an over-the-counter pain reliever if you’re still uncomfortable.
o Broken or Loose Braces Bracket – If your braces bracket is still attached to the wire, don’t take it off. Gently push it back to its correct place and then cover it with a small piece of orthodontic wax. If the bracket breaks and comes off of your wire, wrap a piece of tissue around it and take it out of your mouth.
Be sure to give our office a call so we can schedule you for an appointment to fix it. o Poking Wire – Before you leave your bonding appointment, we’ll make sure no wires are poking you. However, sometimes when a bracket is loose or breaks, you can be left with a long piece of wire that pokes into your cheek.
If that’s the case, gently use the eraser end of a pencil or a clean cotton swab to push it out of the way and against the nearest tooth. Dry it off with some tissue and then cover it in orthodontic wax before giving us a call.
Don’t Forget Your Mouthguard
If you are an athlete, wearing a mouthguard is essential when you’re playing sports or doing any physical activity with a risk of injury to the face. It should be part of your routine all of the time but it’s especially important when you’re wearing braces.
Focus on Those End Results!
On your first day with braces, your appliance will feel a little weird. After all, your tongue and lips aren’t used to sharing space with brackets and wires. You may also feel as if you look different or like your braces are sticking out. We promise, you’ll acclimate to your braces quickly and you’ll barely notice them after a while.
- If you feel discouraged, focus on the end result and think about how amazing your smile will look when you’re done.
- Now that you know what to expect, if you’re interested in braces in Houston or Bellaire, book a consultation at Houston Orthodontic Specialists today! We offer a variety of braces options, including conventional metal and clear braces, self-ligating metal and clear braces and lingual braces.
We’re also a Diamond Invisalign® and Invisalign Teen provider. We’ll help you decide on the best option for your needs so you can get a healthy, beautiful smile you love.
Is it normal for braces to hurt on the first day?
7. Your Teeth can be Sensitive – Before they start treatment, patients sometimes want to know how long do braces hurt after you get them? The answer is, they shouldn’t hurt! Braces aren’t painful. If you feel serious pain, call us right away. Instead, most patients have some sensitivity and mild aching in their teeth and jaws that starts the first day of braces, usually a few hours after you get them put on.
Why do braces only hurt the first day?
After Getting Braces On – Once your braces are on your teeth, some pain and discomfort may develop. This is normal, just a sign that your teeth are adjusting to the new appliance. The braces need to apply pressure to straighten your smile, so your teeth, gums, lips, and tongue all need time to get used to the new sensations. Any of the following are normal types of pain or discomfort:
- Pressure on the teeth
- Swollen or inflammed gums
- Irritated cheeks, lips, and gums
- Jaw tension
- Headaches
- Sensitivity to heat or cold
- Lightly bleeding gums
- Difficulty chewing food
- Feeling of loose teeth
All of the above are your body’s normal, appropriate responses to the new orthodontic appliance. In the majority of cases, this discomfort fades within the first few days as you adjust to your braces.
