The First Week of Braces
Congratulations! You have braces! You are on your journey to a beautiful smile.
Now, how do you get through this first week? The braces may feel scratchy or sharp at first because you aren’t used to them. Also, your teeth may start to feel sore or achy. If not very sore or not very uncomfortable, you don’t need to do anything special. But, for those patients who do experience soreness or sharp/scratchiness, here is some advice on how to make things better!
Soreness: Feeling sore or achy after getting braces is very normal. Ususally toward the end of the day or into the 2nd and 3rd day patients will experience the most soreness. During these days, we recommendeating soft foods so that you minimize the pressure upon the teeth. This includes soups, mac n cheese, pasta, oatmeal, porridge, smoothies, yogurt, and ice cream! If very achy, you can take Advil or Tylenol to lessen the soreness. With time, the teeth will no longer feel achy and sore any more.
Scratchy braces: The braces themselves can be scratchy or pokey. With a little time, your mouth will get completely used to them! But in that first week, it is very common to get cuts and canker sores on the cheeks, lips, tongue. If this occurs, you can use salt water (cup of warm water mixed with 2 tsp salt) and rinse for a minute at at time. This calms the irritation down. If that doesn’t help, Colgate makes a great rinse called Peroxyl that can safely be used up to 4x per day. This rinse helps heal cuts and sores quickly. Also, if a specific bracket or part of the wire is poking or scratchy, wax can be placed as a pillow over the area to soften and make yourself comfortable.
In a week or so, you should be feeling back to your normal self and on your way to a great smile!
