Braces on Teeth

My 11 year old complains of a little discomfort the day of wire changes, but otherwise says it's no problem. Sometimes a wire will poke him on the side at his molar. He has wax that he puts on it and that takes care of it. A little Advil now and then is about it. My daughter is 8 and got upper and lower expanders. Now that is a different story....

Hi M.,

I had braces as a child, and I'm sure the tech is new, but I wanted to tell you to buy advil! I remember my whole jaw aching every time the wires were changed.

I suggest buying some Ensure type drinks and soups for the next few days. It will also take time getting use to, if they are the typical braces.

Good luck to your daughter.

R. Magby

Mostly discomfort, the pain is afterward when the teeth start moving, my daughter has one or two days a month right after her ortho appt's, that she is sore, but usually advil works and she is able to eat most foods, after a day or so she is back to herself. She rarely ever complains of actual pain.

ah braces fun fun! i remember getting mine and i was so scared but nothing changed at all! some of my friends had a hard time talking when thye got theirs but i had no change at all. it didnt hurt until they started tightening them about 2 months later. hope this helps!

You might want to look into the Ortho-Tain. You can google for it. Your daughter is young enough that it might work for her, it worked for my daughter and she was able to avoid braces.

My little brother just got his on not too long ago, he said it felt weird and a very dull pain in his teeth. He quickly got used to them and says they dont hurt him at all. My daughter's aunt also said that her teeth hurt a little when they were first put on. Maybe give her some pain killers half an hour before going and constantly encourage her by saying "this is going to look so good when you get to take them off" and "I can't wait to see your smile when youre all done". That gave my little brother a lot of encouragement and now he is excited for every adjustment because he is that much closer to having them off.

That's really cool that she's excited! My oldest daughter just got hers off after 5 years (she had two impacted teeth that required surgery). She told me then and has reaffirmed it recently that they never hurt. Sometimes they were terribly uncomfortable when they made adjustments but pain was not an issue. I always rewarded my daughter with eating out for lunch after our regular appointments. She looked forward to them and to our time together.

I think your daughter's excitement just might get her through!

M.

I had braces as a teen for almost 4 yrs as did my husband over 30 yrs ago. Our daugther, now a teen had braces for about 18 months starting at age 10 also. Her teeth were not terribly crooked, but crowded and the braces did wonders. She did have to have a few baby teeh removed to start and periods of soreness throughout the whole process, but Tylenol and soft and cold foods for a few days always helped.When I was young my teeth were much worse with a bad overbite. Then Ortho's recommended waiting in most cases until children were in thier teens to put braces on, but now my friends kids are starting at 8-9 yrs old. I think the outcome of a beautiful smile for her for life outweighs the minor soreness your child will experience. My daughter has no regrets about the braces and is glad the braces are off b4 she starts high school this fall. I would recommend it for sure mom. Good luck to her.

M.,
Make sure you have a bottle of Tylenol waiting at the house. Braces don't hurt when the orthodontist puts them on. They cause HUGE amounts of pain by the next morning as all the teeth feel the pull. I had braces in the mid 90's. I distinctly remember wanting to claw them off my teeth with my bare hands the following day. Good luck and be prepared with pain meds and popcicles!

Getting them actually put on doesn't hurt at all. It's a little strange, but not painful. After they are put on her mouth will be sore, especially the day after. Eating soft foods, will help not pot too much pressure on the teeth. My orthodontist (I got braces a few years back, late in life) said to only take Tylenol. Ibuprofen causes the gums to tighten around the teeth and keeps the teeth from moving easily. I agree with the previous mom, to give her Tylenol before the appointment. Be careful, though. They just did another big recall of Tylenol. You might stick with generic versions.

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