When you first get your braces, you may notice that your teeth and mouth feel a little tender or sore. This is perfectly normal for patients who have just gotten their braces put on, and we promise your mouth will not be sore forever! To relieve the pain, we recommend dissolving one teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of lukewarm water. Swish and gargle this solution in your mouth for just a couple of minutes (do not swallow the salt water).
If the pain is more severe and does not go away after rinsing, you can also try taking Tylenol, Advil, or whatever pain reliever you normally take to relieve a headache or similar pain. Continuous use of Advil has been shown to slow down tooth movement – use only as needed.
It is also not uncommon for your lips, cheeks, and tongue to become irritated for 1-2 weeks as they toughen and become used to the braces. We have given you some wax in your care bag that you can put over the braces to lessen the tenderness. If you need more wax, please let us know!
Loose Teeth
If your teeth begin feeling a little loose, don’t worry; this is normal! Your braces must first loosen your teeth in order to move them into the right position. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer be loose.
Loose Wires and Brackets
The wires and brackets on your braces may come loose. If a bracket comes loose, most often this is because you have eaten something that you were not supposed to. Broken brackets will increase your treatment time. Therefore, if this happens, contact your orthodontist
You can temporarily fix the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently push the wire back into place. If the loose wire is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks, put wax or a wet cotton ball over the broken wire to relieve the pain. A nail clipper can carefully be used to clip poking wires if you are unable to reach the office.