Pain after braces? When will it start?!
Question:
Pain after braces? When will it start?
I had my brackets on for a month (had to get 4 teeth pulled) and got my wires put in this morning. It's been 10 hours and I feel pressure but not a whole lot of pain. Just wondering when the real pain comes and how long I can expect it to last...
Answers:
It depends! I hear a ton of different stories.
For me personally, I felt nothing but pressure for the first 24 hours. After that, my incisors were very sore for a week. The bes thing I found to use was advil (or any ibuprofen).
Adjustments were similar, but less intense and shorter in duration.
Additionally, if you have heat-activated archwires, you can drink something cold to temporarily relieve the pressure if it gets too intense.
I did initially have some irritation on my cheeks, but that was alleviated with wax covering any poky bits, and lots of warm salt water rinses.
I have heard of others who have felt no pain, and those who have had worse pain, and/or longer.
archwired.com is a great resource and they have forums where people who are in braces can share experiences.