Do Braces Hurt?

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Warrington Orthodontist

Do braces hurt?  How do I manage discomfort?

Arnold J Malerman,    DDS

 Will braces hurt? Yes, Orthodontic tooth movement can be temporarily annoying and uncomfortable, but there are ways to manage the discomfort.  Remember that no one has ever died from braces or aligners.

Tooth pain is a fluid mediated pain, and by far the best OTC pain med for fluid mediated pain is Ibuprofen/Advil/Motrin/Nuprin.  1 Ibuprofen is 10% more effective than 2 aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid), 40% more effective than 2 Tylenol (acetaminophen).

Will Braces Hurt

So for tooth soreness take 1 Ibuprofen with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed, always with something to eat or drink.  Be proactive; don’t wait until it hurts.  Take the Nsaid before you get sore.  It works better than waiting to take it until after you’re sore.  Also rinse with 1 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water (swish and spit out) which will help the Ibuprofen carry away the ADP containing tissue fluid.  It will also pickle your tissues, making them more resistant to stickers, the areas that stick out and annoy you.

Will Braces Hurt

Make sure to keep your teeth immaculately clean, including cleaning between your teeth.  Think what it would be like to have to put a shoe on over a swollen foot.  Think what it would be like to get braces tightened, or shift to a new aligner tray, over swollen gums.  Watch what you eat.  Bent wires will cause pain, and if the wire pulls out of the back tube the end has to go somewhere, usually somewhere very uncomfortable.  And make sure to wear your Orthodontic mouth guard to not only prevent damage to your braces, but to prevent your soft tissues from being shoved into the braces (ouch).
Will Braces Hurt?
  Another suggestion is to eat a soft high-protein diet.  When teeth are sore, soft foods are easier to manage.  If you have a twisted knee, running up 3 flights of stairs will not help the knee heal.  If your teeth are sore, a hamburger will be easier to manage than a steak.   And look for high protein foods, like that just mentioned hamburger.  Your body uses the proteins as building blocks to rebuild bone and soft tissue anatomy.  An abundance of protein gives your body the raw materials, the building blocks, it needs to adjust.  So go looking for foods that contain meat, fish, dairy products, beans, and/or poultry.  Milkshake is great.  Mashed potatoes or apple sauce is easy to get down, but low in protein.  Try scrambled eggs, yoghurt, tuna salad, Mac n’Cheese, sprinkle cheese on a green salad, hot dogs and baked beans, and don’t forget that hamburger/turkey burger/fortified veggie burger.  Expand your food choices.

 

 If you have any questions regarding this blog post or orthodontics, please contact us at L&M Orthodontics.  We have three locations in Bucks-Montgomery County in Pennsylvania.
Meet Dr. Malerman on our Youtube Channel!  Please click above video.

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If you have any orthodontic needs and would like to schedule a complementary consultation, please contact our offices, our friendly team would be happy to assist you!

 

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