So today, I got braces...

[imabrat]

Oh man, I've gotta whine for a few seconds. Someone call the WAAAAAHHHHbulence for me, and make sure there's cheese!

I got braces today. Yes, I'm nearly 17. What happened was I was due for braces at the end of 8th grade when I'd just turned 14. Unfortunately I was diagnosed with cancer at that time, and due to the medicine I was taking, any dental work could not be done. The time period I was on chemo screwed up my teeth even worse than they already were.

I finished chemo and the last 1 1/2 years have been spent fixing what was messed by chemo. Cavities, fillings, and root canals galore. I had a cavity on nearly every single one of my teeth. I had a great dentist though who made practically everything pain free. The fillings hurt worse than the root canals!

Now, it's time for braces. HOLY HELL! My teeth HURT! I predmedicated and had them put on around noon and I was fine. I had mashed potatoes for lunch and chinese food for dinner! But 8pm rolls around and it begins to kill. I know it's silly because I've been in worse pain, but that doesn't mean I wanna be in pain now!


So, how did you guys manage the pain for the first couple days you got braces on? Also, are there any other easier ways to floss? LOL!

 

[VMKaddict]

Oh I hated braces! But it was all worth it because now I have pretty white straight teeth
Did your dentist give you any of that wax stuff? That helped a lot, especially on the first day!

 

[Sparx]

I don't have braces, but I think a waterpik would be better than flossing for a few days, until your teeth stop aching.

 

[imabrat]

I have the wax and I've been using it, but it's pretty gross. IDK if it's just because I have a small mouth (literally, not figuratively LOL!) and because there's less room to move it hurts more, I don't know. My top teeth weren't very bad, the front four teeth were starting to get crooked and moving backward but that's it. My bottom teeth are another story. They're similar to this (except for that one in the back):

 

[magicallyDisney001]

Ech, I had braces for 2 and a half years. Trust me, though, they're definitely worth it. But for now, you could take a painkiller if they're really bothering you, and count on soup for the next week or so. As for flossing, you could use the little bristle brush thing they gave you, just to clean out the spaces between your brackets first. Did they give you the dental floss threaders? They look kind of like this:

If they didn't, you can probably buy them at any pharmacy or from your regular dentist [for free]; they save a lot of time. If you can't get any, then the only way I can think of to floss is to manually thread the floss behind the wire for every space between your teeth. Meanwhile, drink lots of soup, eat ice cream, and remember that as your teeth straighten, there will be less pain every time. Good luck!

 

[Ppufi]

Aww, I'm sorry Sonya. But as said before, it pays in the end.

Unfortunately I can't help much with brace pain; I had expanders for a year before I got braces so my teeth were used to moving and pressure and it didnt hurt much, if any.

 

[minniesBFF]

I'm sorry Sonya ): Braces SUCK. I had them for four years

my only advice, eat lots of ice cream lol. after about a week the pain should go away. As for flossing, there's really no easy way to do it. I had to use those little flossing picks they gave me at the office. not very fun.

 

[VMK_MagicalLadee]

WATERPIK!!!!! Oh god, its lovely. Best purchase ever. I couldn't eat for like 2 weeks when I got them on T_T.

But uh... Cold things make the metal contract and hot things make them expand. So.. I suggest hot so that they loosen up. So, hot choccie and stuff.

Also, massaging my gums with a finger helped.

: D

I has braces and I'm 17 too

 

[life of the party]

got mine off in december (thank god.)

theyre really not that bad once you get used to them

 

[DisGirlAllie]

I am so sorry. I got mine towards the end of fourth grade and I'm just getting them off this summer! Six years! But, they do get easier. I took a lot of advil the first few days, lived off Robeks, and slept a lot.

Good luck!

And to answer the flossing question, I use these brush things. I'll go search on google.

ETA: they're called interbrace brushes. They're a lifesaver!

 

[CastawayJ]

Oh man, I've gotta whine for a few seconds. Someone call the WAAAAAHHHHbulence for me, and make sure there's cheese!

I got braces today. Yes, I'm nearly 17. What happened was I was due for braces at the end of 8th grade when I'd just turned 14. Unfortunately I was diagnosed with cancer at that time, and due to the medicine I was taking, any dental work could not be done. The time period I was on chemo screwed up my teeth even worse than they already were.

I finished chemo and the last 1 1/2 years have been spent fixing what was messed by chemo. Cavities, fillings, and root canals galore. I had a cavity on nearly every single one of my teeth. I had a great dentist though who made practically everything pain free. The fillings hurt worse than the root canals!

Now, it's time for braces. HOLY HELL! My teeth HURT! I predmedicated and had them put on around noon and I was fine. I had mashed potatoes for lunch and chinese food for dinner! But 8pm rolls around and it begins to kill. I know it's silly because I've been in worse pain, but that doesn't mean I wanna be in pain now!


So, how did you guys manage the pain for the first couple days you got braces on? Also, are there any other easier ways to floss? LOL!

is ok, I got mine at late 16 cuz my jaw wasn't set right... and they just told me I've been wearing them wrong over a year and they forgot to give me bands

 

[thisonegirl]

I just got braces not even two weeks ago.

I had them when I was 8-10, was too young, but I got them straightened.

So, I had straight teeth with a major overbite.

Now I need them for two-two and a half years.

 

[MickeyisBeast]

I've never had braces, and luckily my teeth are very straight, but I've heard the wax is very helpful. I'm sorry it's causing you so much pain):

 

[WDWtraveler27]

So, how did you guys manage the pain for the first couple days you got braces on? Also, are there any other easier ways to floss? LOL!

I didn't do anything special to help manage the pain. I just let it be.
Your orthodontist should be able to tell you of ways you can floss.

 

[MusicalDisneyDreams]

I had metal in my mouth for five years. Top and bottom braces, with power chains, was by far the worst. I don't remember what I did for flossing, but for the pain I used wax wheree the brackets were cutting into my cheeks and not much else. The first thing I ate after the braces came out for good: A whole green apple.
For me, the worst part was the eating restrictions. No popcorn, no biting into fruits, no gum, no hard candy, no caramel.. the list goes on and on.

 

[imabrat]

I have the floss threaders, but I couldn't figure out how to use them at first, LOL! I looked up a video on youtube and did it that way, but my issue wasn't really threading the floss through the wire to get to the death.

The wax helps, it's just so disgusting. The pain has been violent for the last two days, but it seems to get better now. It was so violent that 3 ibuprofen did absolutely nothing to ease the pain, so I had to delve into my prescription pain killer I was given from the dentist for "just in case".

I just have the top ones on now, but I'm due to get the bottoms in a few weeks. My next appointment for adjusting/tightening isn't until AUGUST! because they "want to see how my mouth handles the braces". IDK

Braces just feel so weird. They're scratching up my lips and cheeks, and it feels like I have junk on my teeth I can't remove.

 

[Ppufi]

Yeah, it's a really awkward sensation.

I recommend you brush and floss really well. My orthodontist scared me so bad by saying that if I didn't brush well enough, when my braces came off there would be a permanent whiter square on each tooth. D:

 

[Cali_Sparrow]

I had braces for a long time and I remember I refused to eat when I first got them because it felt sooo nasty when food got caught in them! But after a few weeks you get used to it, and after a month or two it feels incredibly normal and you won't have any problems other than getting them tightened.

And when you get them tightened it's not as bad as when you first get them cuz they slowly move your teeth so it's more gradual and just feels like pressure, not pain.

 

[Mrs. Chamberlain]

I don't want to sound mean..... but it gets worse. Much worse. You're at the easy part. The bad part comes when they start putting those chain rubber bands in. They're all connected and it makes your teeth feel really really tight. Those were definitely my LEAST favorite part of having braces.

And the pain will go away after about a week. Every time I got my braces tightened, it hurt for around a week straight. Not a fun time at all.

 

[imabrat]

I don't want to sound mean..... but it gets worse. Much worse. You're at the easy part. The bad part comes when they start putting those chain rubber bands in. They're all connected and it makes your teeth feel really really tight. Those were definitely my LEAST favorite part of having braces.

And the pain will go away after about a week. Every time I got my braces tightened, it hurt for around a week straight. Not a fun time at all.

I don't think my ortho mentioned rubber bands? Like I said, my top teeth weren't terribly unfortunate. My bottom teeth are another story. I'm very scared to get those on!