Saskatoon – Stephenson Orthodontics
You may feel some discomfort for a few days after you get your braces on, and sometimes after you get your wires tightened. But don’t worry, the pain is temporary! Here are some great tips to relieve any pain you may experience:
- Enjoy cold food and drink like popsicles, freezies, smoothies and ice cream. Cold food and drinks can help ease the discomfort by reducing inflammation or numbing the parts of your mouth that are experiencing the most pain.
- Modify your diet by choosing soft foods like soup, yogurt, pudding, eggs, pasta or mashed potatoes can also help ease the discomfort as they require less chewing.
- Swishing with salt water may help too. Your lips or cheeks may rub against the new braces or wires and cause some irritation and sores. The best thing to do is rinse with warm salt water to ease the irritation and help the area heal.
- Orthodontic wax will also ease some of the irritation by providing a barrier between the bracket and cheeks. After getting your braces on or after a tightening, wires can poke your lips and cheeks as your mouth gets used to them. Apply some wax to the wires or brackets that are causing the pain
- Apply oral anesthetics. Orajel and Anbesol are a few pain relievers that can be applied directly to your teeth and gums. It comes in a liquid or gel form and can be applied directly to the teeth and gums to help relieve braces pain.
- You can try using an ice pack on your cheek to soothe the pain.
- Acetaminophen or ibuprofen are also ok if the pain becomes too much!
Braces discomfort usually disappears within four days after getting braces on, and the pain rarely lasts longer than a week. When you first get braces, it’s also common to feel some pain in your cheeks for about a week, but your mouth and cheeks will ‘toughen’ and eventually adjust to the new metal in your mouth. Orthodontic wax placed in the sore areas will help you get through this process.
Wire tightenings typically don’t cause too much pain, but the first few may cause some discomfort while your braces work hard to straighten your teeth. Follow the advice above and soon you won’t remember what your mouth felt like without your braces!
For a free consult, reach our office at 306-653-3955 or book an appointment below.
Stephenson Orthodontics
301 The Tower at Midtown
201 1st Ave South
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
S7K 1J5
