Adult Braces-Regretting This

[Anonymous]

Has anyone gotten adult braces lately and regretted the decision? I was so excited to fix the gap in my teeth and correct my bite but I just got braces yesterday and am in so much pain. I ended up getting ceramic braces instead of metal since that is what my ortho recommended but I seem to be having some sort of reaction to them. The inside of my cheeks and upper lips are totally swollen since they’re rubbing up against the braces. I look like I got lip injections. I’ve tried salt rinses and putting wax on them to help relieve the swelling. I had metal braces as a kid and do not remember having this type of reaction. I’m not sure if my body just needs to adapt or what is going on. I guess I’ll go back to my ortho if this doesn’t calm down in the next day or two. Has anyone else experienced problems with braces?

[Anonymous]

I got braces in my mid 30s when my kids were toddlers. The pain and discomfort was hell but after I got through it I was so glad I did it. But my teeth were very crooked, they made my face asymmetrical. Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

Btw the pain won’t always be this bad. Only in the beginning and when you get them adjusted or when you enter a new phase with different settings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got braces in my mid 30s when my kids were toddlers. The pain and discomfort was hell but after I got through it I was so glad I did it. But my teeth were very crooked, they made my face asymmetrical. Hang in there.

Thanks-I was expecting gum pain from the teeth moving but this inner cheek pain is unreal and I don’t love that my lips are totally swollen. Maybe our adult bodies just aren’t as adaptive as when we were kids.

[Anonymous]

It will get better, but it wont necessarily be fun. Im about 18 months into mine and will celebrate once they're off. In the early days, you still have to develop calluses on your lips so it will hurt more until you do. But dont skimp on the wax because once you're feeling irritation/ swelling, it will just keep getting worse unless you cover the source of the irritation.

Two products that have been a lifesaver: Orthodots, so much better than the wax in the little box and Paroxyl, a mouth rinse that helps calm irritation. I get both from Amazon.

Also, in the early days, I also occasionally used anbesol/orajel when it really hurt. And oddly, I've noticed a correlation with my menstrual cycle. Increased irritation from my braces seems to be a delightful new pms symptom.

Good luck! Its just temporary even though it may suck in the moment

[Anonymous]

It’s worth it. Take advil, eat soft foods. You’ll be glad you did.

[Anonymous]

Hang in there. It will be awesome to close your gap! Keep thinking about that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s worth it. Take advil, eat soft foods. You’ll be glad you did.

This, it will hurt temporarily, and stop after a few days. Hurt means they're moving.

[Anonymous]

Agreed! Hang in there. The wax suggestion above is a good one. I also had a gap and any time I registered the pain I reminded myself that it would be gone at the end. I had hated it my whole life. So worth it!

[Anonymous]

remember that from braces! It will get better.

My kid's ortho recommended GishyGoo which seems to work a bit better than the traditional wax.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the recs!! My entire mouth is encased in wax at the moment which is helping but I will get the orthodots and the special mouth wash. I was so excited for these braces but really didn’t anticipate this discomfort! I am excited to close the gap and hopefully return to the smile of my youth haha

[Anonymous]

Yeah braces are awful. It's also more traumatic for the roots of your teeth as you age, and more likely that your teeth may need a root canal/implant in the future too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah braces are awful. It's also more traumatic for the roots of your teeth as you age, and more likely that your teeth may need a root canal/implant in the future too.

Interesting-did not know the root connection. Will have to look into this further.

[Anonymous]

Saltwater and baking soda rinse. After every meal. Helps with the blistering and chaffing.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I remember the pain when I first got braces at 30. I think all of my teeth were moving at once, I couldn't eat anything solid for two weeks. The orthodontist told me to just take some Advil. I cried every day.

But it did get better, to the point I only had pain after tightenings. So what I started doing was scheduling my tightenings for after lunch. Then I'd eat a huge lunch right before the appointment and have just a yogurt for dinner. When the braces came off, I felt like I had movie star teeth! It was SO WORTH the pain and annoyances.

I recently had Invisalign for about a year to fix my bite which was becoming problemsome. Even with Invisalign, the inside of cheeks would get irritated occasionally, so I'd put some Oragel on it to help with the discomfort.

I had my braces done at age 30, about 25 years ago. Since then I've had one tooth that needed a root canal, not long after my braces came off. And that tooth was already so messed up I ended up just having it pulled (it was all the way in the back). So in my experience, the braces did not lead to more problems...rather the opposite. The amount of cavities/gum disease went way down for me after braces. To the point that the only fillings I have had done in the last decade plus are old ones needing replacement.