How do you deal with pain from rubber bands on braces?!
Question:
How do you deal with pain from rubber bands on braces?
Yesterday morning I got my expander removed (very painfully), braces tightened, that ... "thing" put onto my top set of braces to close up the gaps from my expander, and rubber bands to wear. I am in a lot of pain to begin with, but when I wear the rubber bands, the pain is unbearable. I have been taking Ibuprofen as often as I can (every 4-6 hours) but it's not really helping.
I am unsure on how to deal with the pain. Yesterday I took off the rubber bands because I just couldn't stand it. Bad, I know... I know. Today I am going to try to wear them all day but I'm not sure how well this is going to go. Any advice on what to do?
Answers:
The "thing" on top is called a power chain. I know those are tight and that's definitely contributing to your soreness. If you leave your elastics on, the pain will eventually go away. Leaving them off and then trying to put them back on later just won't help. When you have your elastics on, they are working and moving everything into place. The minute you take them off you lose progress. It doesn't just stay and then work some more when you put them back. It's like starting over every time. Just wear them all the time, change them 3 times a day, and you'll get it over with faster. I know it hurts and I'm so sorry! It will get better!