do braces hurt when you get them on or off?

Question

i'm getting braces soon but i'm sort of nervous. i was wondering what it's like having them, what you can and can't do or eat, and what happens when you get your braces put on.. what is the process?

Answer 1

Yes! They hurt when they finally put the wire in. And when you get them off, it hurts to break the braces off the teeth, and your teeth feel sore throughout every tightening...just eat cold icecream, it helps the pain....

Process:
Gluing the brace on each tooth (top or bottom row one session, other row next session.
Placing wire in the braces, next session. Sometimes they use rubberbands on each brace to hold the wire, sometimes metal pins.
Some people must wear rubber bands that pull the top row of teeth back (for overbites).
Some people must have teeth removed to make space.
Some people have to get a "key" in their palate to spread crowded teeth and jaws.

Every month or so you must go back to have the wire tightened, this makes your teeth sore...
Sometimes the braces can cut your mouth inside if you're not careful, they give wax to cover parts of braces that can hurt you....

Fianlly when they come off, the orthodontist removes the wire, and cracks each piece off one by one. Then uses a special scraper to scrape off the dried on glue from your teeth. He also gives you a retainer which you must wear for a whole year consistently, and at nights after that.

You can eat anything pretty much, except after getting them on initially and after tightening your teeth and gums are sore, so nothing hard to bite or chew. No gum and definetely no hard candy like jolly ranchers! (bad experience with that, it got stuck to my braces, and when i tried to bite it, one of my braces popped off my tooth! i had to go to the ortho and have it reglued....and i got a lecture too...)

It all sounds horrible, but it's definitely worth it! I get nice compliments all the time for my straight teeth.... :D

Answer 2

a lot have ppl have answered your question about the process in good detail.

your teeth do hurt when you get your braces tightened. basically, they take off the rubberbands and the wire that's connected to each bracket. they replace the wire, usually a little shorter to realign the teeth. you'll feel pressure, but the most pain (that doesn't happen all the time) you'll feel is if they didn't clip the wire short enough towards the back of your molars. if it pokes, apply the wax they give you or purchase some at the drug store.

mainly you feel uncomfortable pressure for a few days after the "tightening". if you have to use rubberbands, it hurts even more.

eat a soft diet (soups, oatmeal, baby food, ice cream, jello, applesauce, etc.) on the days it hurts really bad. they'll tell you to avoid hard food like bagels and pizza crust.

when they remove your braces, there is some uncomfortable pressure. they scrape off the brackets with a tool. when i had mine taken off, i thought my teeth were gonna get chipped! it didn't happen.

it's a little nerve wrecking going through the process if you've never done it before. but braces have been around for many yrs and i haven't heard of a horror story yet. you'll be just fine and will LUUUUUV smiling when they are off.

* my advice: make sure you visit your dentist regularly, if you are seeing an "orthodontist" only for your braces. floss and brush more often than you would if you didn't have braces.

Answer 3

Okay, when you get them on, there is only one bad part. This is when they put the bands on the molars. It is the only painful part of the procedure and I believe it is one of the first things, so you will get it over with. You just have to keep biting down while they push the bands in-be tough! The rest is just gluing on the brackets (not painful at ALL) and fitting the wire (also painless).

Having braces is barely painful at all. When they are tightened, it just feels a bit tight and may be kind of sore, but it doesn't last long and it's not that bad.

Stay away from really hard things that can break the brackets. I was able to get away with eating popcorn (they say you can't eat that), so don't worry about that unless it causes problems. I'm not sure about gum-my mom refused to let me chew it.

Getting them off is not painful at all from what I can remember. I remember feeling really stupid for worrying about it.

Well, I hope that helped you.

Answer 4

Hmm.. you will know when you have them...

I usually think of them as a temporary inconvenience...

When you have braces, the first three days will hurt because your teeth are not used to the pressure of the braces trying to pull your teeth together.

The edges of your braces can feel strange in your mouth as well.

But after a while, you get used to it and life goes on.

Erm.. i think generally speaking.. you can eat most things.. just avoid stuff like gum.

As for the process... well, first the doctor will apply a layer of 'glue' on your teeth and then paste the braces on your teeth. When that is done, he will put in a wire and fasten it to the braces with rubberbands.

For cosmetic purposes, you might want to choose white braces as they are not so obvious but they are more expensive. AVOID COLORED rubberbands at all cost unless you want your braces to stand out. ;)

Anyway, I am sure you dentist will give you a set of care instructions. Good luck!

PS: IT doesnt hurt to get it on or off.. merely hurt everytime you tighten it ;)

Answer 5

Having them put on doesn't really hurt.. it's a bit uncomfortable when they put the brackets around your molars, though. It takes a while to get used to the sensation of having those metal rings around your back teeth. Having the actual braces on your teeth will feel strange, too. Try not to lick them or use your tongue to mess with them too much for the first little bit.. you can cause some sore spots if you fidgit with them too much. Braces themselves don't really hurt, but two or three days after you get them put on (maybe even the next day) your mouth is going to be REALLY sore... because your teeth will start to move. For the first four or five days (or longer, if your mouth is still sore), stick to soft foods--oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes.. things like that. They recommend that while you have your braces on, you don't eat corn on the cob (cut it off the cob... just don't eat it ON the cob.. if you get the brackets caught on a kernel and pull too hard, you could pop one off) and that you peel and slice apples before you eat them.

It sounds like a lot of "don't do this" and "don't eat that", but it really isn't so bad. I had braces for almost two years but I didn't really pay much attention to them after the first two weeks. You'll do a lot of messing with them with your tongue when you first get them on... and even more so once they're taken off. As you get used to them, you'll figure out what you can eat with no trouble and what you'll need to avoid or find some other way to eat. Just brush twice a day and floss like your dentist advises and having braces is a breeze!

One last piece of advice though... if you get the traditional metal braces and decide to put the colored elastics around them, AVOID THE WHITE... no matter how many times you brush and floss and use mouth rinse, they'll still end up turning this weird shade of yellow before it's time to go back to the dentist and have them changed.

Answer 6

I just got braces 3 months ago. The first day, he put on the brackets but not the wires. THAT hurt like a B****! It was because he had put spacers in my teeth and they were pushing my teeth apart, and then the brace on my teeth were pushing my teeth together, I was actually in tears. I didnt mind having my wisdom teeth out but my braces were very painful to me. And also the pressure on my teeth hurt to. But everyone else told me it was going to hurt really bad when I got them tightened, but that actually doesn't hurt at all.
I have to get my 2 teeth pulled tommorrow because my teeth are ove crowded, my braces are REALLY going to hurt after that. But just keep telling yourself the pain will eventually go away and you will have a BEAUTIFUL smile in the end

Answer 7

Yes they hurt, when they space your teeth apart to get them. Not horribly but it's uncomfortable. They put these little rubber bands between your teeth to space them out for the braces, then they wire them up, they adjust the wires periodically (which can hurt to, it depends on how much they adjust them).

It's a pain to have them, food gets caught in them (all kinds, but anything that gets caught in your teeth gets caught in braces worse, and sticky gum is a pain) They hurt when they are adjusted, and they look goofy.

All that said, it's so worth it. You will feel so much better when they come off. I had them, hated them, but was glad I did it, and still am 20 years later.

Answer 8

You might have a little soreness at first, both when you get them on and when they come off. It will take just a little while to get used to talking with or without them. But when they come off, you will LOVE the way your teeth feel! So smooth and clean, you won't mind the other short-term inconveniences. You should not chew gum anymore, or anything that can pull at your teeth. The dentist will go over everything in great detail. He/She will give you a list of all the do's and don'ts.

Answer 9

Dudeeee... if i were you...

Eat everything you can because when you get your braces your gonna be in pain I say for a month and then the second month wont hurt as much but it will still hurt....

You can eat candy, but you have to be very very careful

I have braces and i lost like a lotta weight when i got mine

So just... EAT UP WHILE YOU CAN !!! BECAUSE IT WILL HURT TO MUCH TO LOOK AT FOOD !!!

Answer 10

i have braces and before i got mine on i was really nervous. but while i was getting them done i had no pain, it was uncomfortable as any dentist appointment is, but no pain. What they do is sort of use a binding liquid and a special light to bond the braces to your teeth. as for getting them off... i have no idea.. i hope not!