Braces question: Which is more painful?!

Taking Care of Your Teeth After Braces
Congratulations on getting your braces! Now that you have started orthodontic treatment, here are a few hints to help you have a great smile and maintain your dental health.

General Soreness

After orthodontic adjustments, there may be soreness in the mouth or teeth. A Tylenol or Advil may be taken every 4-6 hours if tenderness is severe. Soreness should end by the 3rd or 4th day. One of the most effective means of pain control is taking over-the-counter pain medication prior to the orthodontic appointment.

Sores can sometimes develop on the soft tissues of the mouth (cheeks, lips, and tongue). This is especially common soon after the braces are placed. These tissues usually develop a callous over time. Oral rinses such as Listerine?, Peroxyl? and Pro-Health? are antibacterial and help reduce infection and inflammation. Topical anesthetics such as Orabase? and Orajel? can be effective for temporary pain relief. These gels are placed directly on the tissue and can numb the pain for a few hours. Some people have allergies to these medications, so follow the product label instructions.

Preventing breakage

Diet modification and a change in how food is eaten are critical to preventing breakage. The balance between bond strength of the braces and ease of removal when the treatment is complete necessitates cooperation from the patient during treatment.

The cost of breakage may not be entirely monetary. Patients who repeatedly break braces and appliances will likely be charged; however, treatment that has repeated broken appliances will take longer, and the results may end less than ideal. Every time a bracket comes off of a tooth, that tooth is no longer functioning as a part of the arch. This will tend to slow the progress of the treatment if it happens on a regular basis.

The best way to avoid breakage during treatment is to follow the instructions below:

Avoid hard and sticky foods/candy: Chips, popcorn, jerky, nuts, Jolly Ranchers, gum, Starbursts, Tootsie Rolls, caramel, taffy, Gummy Bears
Do not nibble or chew meat off bones and corn should be cut off the cob
Avoid chewing on hard objects: Pens and pencils, ice cubes
Eat hard foods such as apples and carrots by first cutting them into smaller pieces
There may be other factors involved in breakage of the braces. This may include a very deep bite (the top teeth overlap and hit the lower braces when biting and chewing), appliances that may need adjustment (a headgear rubs against the braces when worn), or a bonding failure.

Sports and accidents tend to be additional sources of appliance and braces breakage. Any contact sport runs the risk of damage to the braces, especially if a mouthguard is not worn. Mouthguard use is a good way to protect teeth.

Braces that become loose should be reported to our office as soon as possible.

Orthodontic emergencies

The following is intended to provide general information regarding some of the more common orthodontic emergencies. Emergencies for patients in braces tend to be relatively infrequent and fortunately are not usually severely debilitating.

Listed below are some of the more common problems and solutions to deal with the situation on a temporary basis until you can be seen.

Broken braces: Broken or loose braces are generally not considered an urgent problem. When a bracket comes off of a tooth, it is still normally attached to the wire with an elastics tie. This will prevent the bracket from being swallowed, but it may move or spin around on the wire. If this is a problem for the patient, a little wax pressed against the bracket will keep it from moving around.
Loose band: When a band (ring around the back teeth) comes loose, the patient is in no immediate harm; however, it is important to call the office to have it re-cemented.
Poking wire: Many times as the teeth move in the early phase of treatment, the wire used to straighten them has no place to go except out the back of the molar band area. Fortunately, most times this can be handled at home very simply with some orthodontic wax. It is important to try and dry the area first (with a paper towel), then roll up a piece of wax into a ball. Place the ball of wax into the area of the poking wire. The wax will smooth the area and keep the tissue from getting caught on the end. If wax does not resolve the pain, call the office so that the wire can be clipped.
Orthodontic pain and discomfort: As was previously discussed, some pain and discomfort is a normal part of orthodontic treatment. The pain tends to occur about 4-6 hours after the braces are placed or after an adjustment appointment. Over the next day or two, the pain will progressively become worse. Then, after days 3-5, the pain will begin to subside. We recommend over-the-counter pain medication just prior to and after the adjustment appointments.

Def when you get them on. It hurt so bad for me, I cried :( Yeah I know haha